


Cosmic Composite

by liketolaugh



Series: In Another Life [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), D.Gray-man, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Autistic Kanda, Autistic Link, Avengers Family, DGM is a dark dark world, Domestic Avengers, Domesticity, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Like seriously this fic moves so slow, Reincarnation, Slow Burn, exorcist!Link
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2018-04-19 07:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 76
Words: 281,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4737428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liketolaugh/pseuds/liketolaugh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The exorcists reincarnate into Marvel's next generation. No one can figure out how. Still, it's nice to have a family. (Also includes Agents of SHIELD. AU starting one year before CA2. Major divergence begins after Age of Ultron.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Enter Kanda

"YA ne mogu v eto poverit'!"

"Khotite ver'te - eto nakonets-to gotov prosnut'sya."

Voices?

Kanda twitched awake, trying to frown. He felt tired; something dragged at his limbs, and he couldn't open his eyes. After a few seconds, he realized that he was floating in liquid, which rushed in and out of his lungs in time with his labored breaths.

"Nashi lidery budut rady."

"Khoroso. Eto bylo nelegko. Prinesite yego; vremya prishlo."

What was going on? Kanda should be _dead._ He had, in fact, just been thoroughly murdered.

...Had the CROW brought him back for further experimentation, as had been done to Alma?

Almost instantly, Kanda dismissed the possibility from his mind. After what had happened the last few times, and with no further need for exorcists, Central wouldn't dare. Even _they_ weren't that sadistic.

He stiffened as he felt large hands curl behind his back and under his head. _Extremely_ large hands.

Kanda was lifted from the liquid and, as soon as his head broke the surface, he started to cough violently, struggling to exchange liquid for air.

"Ne dayte yemu zaglushayut!"

Kanda was lifted up against a shoulder, and one hand started to pat his back gingerly, making his job easier as he continued to cough up liquid. Finally, when he felt less like he was choking to death, he pried his eyes open, still gasping weakly.

"Razve ne deti dolzhny plakat'?"

"Vy predpochli by, chto on sdelal?"

Kanda's vision was blurry and colorless. He felt something thin and rubbery pressing awkwardly into his stomach; from the feel of it, it was embedded uncomfortably into his navel.

Most importantly, though, either everything had gotten very, very large, or Kanda was now very, very small.

Kanda panted against the huge shoulder, feeling his lungs ache with the effort, and tried not to panic. Something was wrong. Really wrong. And he had no idea what it was.

The large hands shifted him again, exposing two blurry hands to his vision. Belatedly, Kanda realized that he wasn't wearing anything, and he burned with humiliation. At the same time, he shivered.

A hand reached down to his belly and detached the tube. The sensation was strange; Kanda swatted feebly at the hand and looked down, and then he froze.

_That's not my hand._

He clenched his fist. The tiny, chubby, blurry hand in front of him fisted also, and a violent wave of deja vu crashed over him.

 _That…_ is _my hand._

Kanda was a baby.

A goddamn _baby._

He shuddered violently, closing his eyes against this realization, and opened his mouth to scream in anger. As if to mock him, all his lungs produced was the high, thin wail of a newborn baby.

"Yebut, u etogo yest' mnozhestvo legkikh na yem!"

"Znal eto bylo slishkom khorosho, chtoby byt' pravdoy."

A hand covered his mouth and nose, blocking off his air supply, and very quickly, he was forced to stop screaming or else pass out. A few seconds later, the hand was cautiously removed, and Kanda stayed silent.

"Slava Bogu."

"Bez shutok. Pelenat' yego, prezhde chem on zamerzayet, ili yeshche khuzhe, rydayet snova."

A moment later, Kanda was wrapped tightly in soft cloth, which had the irritating side effect of pinning his arms against him. He squirmed.

"Probuzhdeniye vo desyat'. Davayte vyvesti yego."

Something about this last sentence triggered something in Kanda's memory, and the corners of his mouth pulled downward. Scientist. He could be half-dead and drugged to the gills, and he'd still recognize that tone.

With that realization, the situation began to unfold in his mind.

Kanda had been brought back again. As a baby, this time. For whatever sick purpose these people had in mind.

Silently, he fumed. Why did this keep happening to him? More importantly, what gave them the _right?_ Couldn't they just let him burn in Hell in peace?

He twitched as the scientist holding him started to move, and the world shifted dizzyingly - he couldn't seem to track anything. His neck was bent at an uncomfortable angle, and wriggling produced no reaction at all. Was this what it was like to be vulnerable?

Kanda hated it.

Worse, the rocking motions were making him sleepy, and against his will, he felt his eyes start to slip shut. The last thing he saw was a tall, glowing rectangle, the silhouette of a person standing behind it.

A moment later, he fell asleep.

* * *

The sound of voices woke Kanda up again, and he opened his eyes to the same situation he'd fallen asleep in. Obviously.

Kanda's luck was shit.

"Voin."

Tentatively, Kanda identified the language as Russian. Allen had offered him lessons once, and now, he bitterly regretted refusing. Beansprout would probably get a kick out of that, the little shit.

He was moved to face a new figure, just a pale face with a mass of brown hair to Kanda's vision.

"Etot mladenets teper' vasha glavnaya missiya. Berite yego s, za ney ukhazhivat', i nikogda opusti yego. Obuchat' eto stat' velichayshim assasin v mire."

"...Ponyal."

Kanda was handed over to the seated man and squawked painfully. One of the man's hands was hard, metal, maybe, and pressed uncomfortably against his shoulders and neck. The other, flesh and bone, curled awkwardly somewhere around his knees.

"Net, net, stop. Kak eto."

A second set of hands appeared, rearranging the seated man's grip. The metal hand was curled to accommodate the curve of Kanda's head, sliding further up to better cradle it, and the other was moved to better support his lower body.

Kanda was pretty sure supporting his body was his job.

"Ponyatno."

From this new position, Kanda could see the man's face clearly, the first one since he'd…

The man's eyes were blue; his face was rugged, and stubble covered his chin. He looked intent and focused, his gaze fixed on Kanda. His hair was long, down to his shoulders, and his mouth slightly open, as if in surprise. Silently, Kanda named him 'the bear', for his appearance and low voice.

He looked stunned. He looked mesmerized.

Kanda heard the whip of thick paper, and the man looked up. Then he shifted Kanda so that he was held only in his right arm, the human one, and reached forward. When his hand came back into sight, it was holding what was clearly, to Kanda, a mission folder.

Kanda didn't know what was going on, but he knew he didn't like it.

After a moment of consideration, he turned his head and bit him.

* * *

It was that first day out of the lab all over again.

Kanda didn't recognize anything and nothing made sense, and he was growing more frustrated by the minute. His eyes burned and his chest ached; he felt like he was about to cry, which made it worse. When was the last time he had _cried?_

Over the last half hour, he'd been released from his cloth prison, had a _diaper_ put on him, dressed like the _baby_ he was, and then _fed_ from a _bottle._ And now he was being _burped._

He was, needless to say, more humiliated than he could ever remember having been in his life.

Kanda's face scrunched up as he felt the bear clumsily pat his back a little too hard, and he resisted with all his might… and then burped.

His eyes popped open, startled at himself, and then he clenched his too-small fists, breath hitching… and apparently, that did it.

Kanda couldn't stop the whine that pierced the air, or the tears, or the loud cries that filled the area. The bear jolted hard and Kanda just cried harder, face screwed up and thrashing angrily.

He hated this, he hated not being able to take care of himself, hated not being able to lift his own head or feed himself or be able to control himself when he needed to go to the bathroom. He hated being carried around and he hated that the _world was not fucking done with him._

Wasn't it about time for him to go to hell already? Or did it just _not want him_ \- was that why it kept spitting him right the fuck back out?

He didn't want this. This wasn't okay. He wanted to crawl back to where he came from and go to sleep and never wake up, and he hated that because it was _weak,_ he wasn't fucking weak-

And crying was exhausting, and the bear's voice was low, and Kanda's anger never faded as the darkness of unconsciousness pulled him under again and he dreamed of nothing.

* * *

Kanda woke up, _again,_ in a building, being shifted around uncomfortably, sending his blurry view of the world into a nauseating rock.

"Derzhite yego v etom. Derzhite yego vmeste s Vami vsegda."

"Ponyal."

Kanda growled unhappily as he realized that, not only was he still in the stupid bear's arms - without having even _noticed_ at first - but he was now being shifted around clumsily. A moment later, he was placed in something like a cloth hammock that held his head still and kept him close to the bear's chest. From this angle, he could see a little better, but everything was still blurry. Reluctantly, he settled and started to watch the world before him, and then, slowly, realized something.

He could hear the bear's heartbeat.

Before he could properly react to this information, the bear was moving again, and the other man spoke, crisp and businesslike.

"Vas budet ozhidat'sya syuda zavtra v polden'. Mladencheskaya dolzhna byt' zabotilis' vami v techeniye vsego etogo perioda. Ne podvedi."

"Da. Ponyal."

The other man nodded at the bear once and then left; Kanda could hear the door thudding closed. With his departure, the bear remained silent, the only noises coming from the objects he was handling.

Kanda scowled the best he could and did his best to peer at whatever the stupid bear was handling. Who was he? What was he doing? Kanda still had no idea what was going on, and it was pissing him off.

It took a few minutes for Kanda to start recognizing the shapes of the objects the bear handled - the barrel of the gun, the point of the knives - and then Kanda looked back up at the bear, whose expression, still the clearest thing in Kanda's range of sight, was impassive, almost dazedly blank were it not for the intent focus.

Kanda's heart clenched, and he tensed slightly, refusing to make a sound.

A killer. A killer of what sort, Kanda didn't know yet, but a killer nonetheless. Nothing else explained this.

Kanda hated this. He hated this and everything about it. He didn't want to depend on this stupid bear for anything, or the scientist who'd left, or anyone else. He was tired of being at others' mercy.

And he didn't want to do this anymore. He was _tired._

* * *

It took perhaps three hours for Kanda to determine precisely what kind of killer the bear was, and it didn't make him feel better.

As far as he could tell, the stupid fucking bear was an assassin.

Kanda wasn't sure; this wasn't exactly his area of expertise, which, to be fair, consisted of one thing and one thing only. (Killing akuma didn't leave room for much else.) But the way the bear stalked a certain vehicle - like a carriage with no horses, or so Kanda thought - from the rooftops, no less, was a dead giveaway, as far as Kanda was concerned.

It hadn't taken long for Kanda to become aware of a gnawing ache in his belly, and it only made him hate his situation more. He'd have to wait for the bear to feed him.

He'd have to lay here, while the man continued obliviously above him, and _wait._

Frustrated, he struck out at him; his tiny fist smacked into the bear's chest and bounced right off. Kanda didn't even think he'd noticed.

Well, obviously. That was what happened when you were tiny.

Kanda's eyes burned, and his anger rose. Who was this stupid guy, anyway? What did he fucking want? Why was Kanda _here,_ and why couldn't he fucking _stop_ already?

He hit the bear again, and then again, suddenly furious.

Who gave them the right? Who gave them the right to mess with his life _again?_ To bring him back _again,_ to kill, _again?_ Why couldn't they fucking _let him go_ and just let him be with his friends? His friends who were just as dead as he ought to be?

The first hitching breath, he barely noticed, and the tears were a footnote in his fury. It was the wail that made him realize he was crying, the thin, piercing sound that he was sure filled the air and finally made the bear take notice.

The alarm on his face might've been comical if Kanda had been in a better mood; as it was, Kanda could barely see it through squinty eyes and tears.

Dead. They were dead, or they were going to be, and he _should_ have been but wasn't, and Kanda hated it. Instead, he was _here,_ and he hated it, hated it, hated it-

The bear did something out of his sight, and then something was at Kanda's mouth and he latched onto it before he could even think about it. Milk - gross and lukewarm milk, but definitely milk - flowed onto his tongue, and he calmed almost instantly.

Of course they were dead. Everyone died, so long as they were still human.

Kanda wondered what that said about him.

* * *

The night air was cold, and it was, as near as Kanda could judge, the end of his first day as a newborn baby. The bear had been crouched on top of this building, waiting for something, since the sun had gone down, and Kanda was starting to drift off for what felt like the thousandth time that day.

Then a gunshot, muffled but still deafeningly loud, went off, and then there was a loud screeching sound from below. Kanda squirmed around until he heard a scream, and then the crash and scream of ripping metal, and he stopped.

The bear's heartbeat never changed.

* * *

By the time they arrived back at the same building they'd come from, Kanda was exhausted.

Forget the fact that he'd slept more than he'd been awake, and the fact that he hadn't done anything but lay there and stare. He was tired, and he was frustrated.

He didn't want to be here.

The bear's heartbeat still thudded in his ear, and bitterly, he wished ill upon the man.

They entered, and a man with blond hair and light skin hurried up to them. Kanda felt the bear tense slightly, and tilted his head to frown.

"Vasha missiya zavershena. Vozvrashcheniye rebenke."

"Da."

Kanda gurgled angrily as he was removed, almost mechanically, from his resting place, and then given to the blond man, who nodded once at the bear. Kanda turned his head away, refusing to look at him. Then, to someone out of Kanda's sight, the blond man said,

"Protrite yego."

Kanda saw the bear stiffen, and then there were two more men by him, guiding him none too gently toward a blurry machine that Kanda had missed. Despite himself, despite what he thought of the bear's actions, he froze.

The bear was shoved into a half-sitting, half-laying position, something was placed around his head, and then he started to scream.

The sound hurt Kanda's ears, just as the gunshot had, and though he wouldn't have been caught dead admitting it, it scared him, and before he knew it, he was crying again.

_Stop, stop, stop, stop-!_

The bear stopped screaming, and Kanda forced his sobs to slow so that he could peer at the bear as he was dragged out of the chair, and then shoved into something tall and blue, and Kanda saw a shadow of something in there before, to his consternation, he was turned away again.

What had just happened? What had they done to the bear? _What was going on?_

"Polozhite yemu usnut'. Dal'neysheye prigotovleniye nachnetsya zavtra."

"Da, da."

Kanda was then, without his consent, carried into another room, seeing mostly boring ceiling pass by and wanting nothing more than to be placed down so he was no longer being _held,_ and was finally put into… a crib.

Kanda hated this so much.

"Spokoynoy nochi."

And then they left, the door again shutting behind them, leaving Kanda alone to stare at the bright colors spinning above him.

Kanda didn't understand much of anything about what was going on. He understood that he was alive again, he was now a baby, and he understood that his friends were gone - dead.

But not much else.

Too exhausted to think, Kanda fell asleep.

* * *

Kanda was woken by the blond man who had taken him the day before. He looked bored and a little annoyed as he stared down at Kanda, and finally, he held a hand up to his chest and said, "Nikolai."

...Well, that was helpful.

Then Nikolai pointed at Kanda and continued, "Ubiytsa." Then, under his breath, clearly irritated, "Bessmyslennyy zadachey."

Kanda did his best to make a face at Nikolai, but the man, unfortunately, didn't seem to notice.

Over the night - Kanda had woken up numerous times, generally only just long enough to be fed - Kanda had eventually come to a decision. He couldn't do shit about his current situation, and as things stood, he couldn't do shit for his friends.

But he didn't have to lay here and be a good baby, either. No, he was gonna give 'em hell.

He squirmed and writhed from the time Nikolai picked him up, all through the various tasks the man had to do - feeding him, burping him, changing his clothes, changing his _diaper_ \- and cried when he felt like it, and by the time they were through, Nikolai looked just about done with him already.

Kanda was very smug.

Finally, though, the apparent morning routine was done, and Kanda was laid on his back with Nikolai looming over him, looking clearly exasperated with something. That something became very clear with just a little squinting.

It was an image of some gory murder scene.

Kanda couldn't help it; it was too ridiculous. The blond man, scarred and clearly exasperated, holding up a picture that was clearly for a purpose-

His lips twitched, and instantly, Nikolai reached out and flicked him on the forehead. "Net!"

Suddenly it wasn't funny anymore.

* * *

The end of the Holy War… hadn't come without consequences. And that would've been fine, maybe, if it had just been Kanda. But it wasn't.

They'd lost a lot. And remembering it hurt. Maybe that was why the exorcists had scattered across the Earth, both wanting to be as far away from each other as possible, and to never lose contact for fear of losing them for good - maybe that was why all of them always took Allen's calls.

Kanda himself had left because he'd known, more certainly than ever, that he was going to die; the last battle of the war had wrung his soul free of any life force it had had left, and that had, in turn, robbed him of even the healing ability a regular human possessed. It didn't kill him right away. Not _that._

Lenalee had gone with her brother, fearing becoming a burden on her friends; a battle with Sheryl had handicapped her to the point where she couldn't walk alone, and she certainly couldn't work in most traditional jobs. Komui, the sister-complex, was more than willing to provide for her for the rest of their lives, anyway.

Lavi had gone with Bookman, pretending like everything was back to the way it had been before he met them, and Bookman, surprisingly, had gone along with it - never mind Lavi's missing hand and the red bangle around his wrist, the one matched with the stigmata carved into his flesh.

Allen, his left arm paralyzed and his left eye blind, had retreated for reasons beyond Kanda's understanding, which were probably stupid anyway. Still, he'd kept everyone in contact with each other.

Kanda wondered what had happened to them.

He wondered if the CROW had killed them, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revision in progress; inconsistencies may appear in the future.


	2. Enter Lavi

When Lavi slid into a pair of waiting hands, he felt more disoriented than he could ever remember having been before. His head felt fuzzy, his chest ached like he couldn't breathe, and his skin felt too small.

He opened his mouth and tried to breathe, and instead he wailed, loud and strained.

What had happened? The last thing Lavi remember was- was fire. The CROW. Bookman. Bookman! His friends! And-

And Lavi should be dead. Could still feel the burning and the pain and the grief, and the darkness and the rage-

Lavi cried, scared and confused and distressed, like- like a newborn baby. _Exactly_ like a newborn baby, handled in hands that were terrifyingly large, with light that was painfully bright burning through his eyelids – all of which just made him cry harder.

He squirmed jerkily, with nary a break in his cries, as slime and fluid he hadn't even noticed was washed off, and then as he was wrapped in a blanket, tight and soft. It petered out as he was handed over to someone who was panting slightly, and who took him and cradled him against her chest. At that point, Lavi had worn himself out enough to be forced to stop, both physically and emotionally wrung out.

He could feel tears cooling on his face, his chest ached from the effort of crying, and he really, really needed to open his eyes and see just how deep the shit was piled.

So he did.

With a puzzling amount of effort, Lavi pried his eyes open and looked.

The first thing he saw was a smile, and then the eyes it crinkled, and messy hair framing an exhaustion-lined face.

"Hello, Lavi," the woman said softly.

Lavi blinked at her in confusion, mind grinding temporarily to a halt before picking up twice as fast.

Okay. So Lavi- Lavi had died. He was sure of that. And now he was – appeared to be – a baby. There was a word for that. Reincarnation. So it was a thing. Or at least a theory, which clearly _was_ a thing, since-

Lavi was confused.

"Would you like me to let Mr. Stark in, Mrs. Potts?" another voice asked, sounding tired but pleased.

"Can you keep him out?" the woman teased without taking her eyes off Lavi. Lavi kept his gaze on her, still scared and breathing a little heavily.

He couldn't see colors, and almost everything was blurry; even the woman's face was a little blurry. His hearing was muffled slightly, and the cloth wrapped lightly around him rubbed his skin uncomfortably.

"Not for much longer," the other replied; Lavi could almost hear the smile in her voice, but when he turned his head to look, he couldn't focus on her at all. It niggled at him unsettlingly – Lavi hated not being able to keep track of every aspect of a situation. It was bad enough that he still felt so unsure.

A moment later, Lavi heard the ka-thunk of a door, and then a man nearly threw himself in, already talking.

"Pepper! Are you okay? You're okay, right? And Tony Junior! Right?"

"We're not calling him Tony Junior," Pepper said sternly, and then her voice softened as she smiled. "And of course we're both alright. Here."

Lavi turned his head, nearly swimming in confusion and eyes starting to fill with tears again as his tiny newborn brain took the emotion and magnified it tenfold. He was transferred then from Pepper's grip to…

'Mr. Stark' had short, dark hair and a goatee, Lavi observed hesitantly. Unlike Pepper, he wasn't smiling, but his eyes were wide and his grip bordered on overcautious. He was staring like he couldn't believe Lavi was real, and Lavi wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Then he looked up, presumably at Pepper, and, slowly, grinned, wide and genuine and bright.

"He's perfect," he said, and then, "You're amazing, Pep."

Pepper laughed. "I'm _exhausted,_ Tony," she corrected. "I must look terrible."

"Of course you're exhausted," Tony said instantly. "And if I looked as you do after two days without sleep, I would be a beautiful, beautiful man."

Pepper laughed again, a little less tired and a little more real. "Smooth talker."

"My specialty." Tony looked back down to Lavi, who blinked up at him, somewhat calmer more no less disoriented. The man grinned. "Hey, little buddy. Welcome to the party. It might be a little overwhelming at first, but trust me…" He glanced at Pepper, smile softening slightly. "It's worth it."

Lavi stared at him for a moment longer, and then let out a scratchy, dismayed croon, the most coherent sound he could manage.

Tony chuckled, and then reached down, and Lavi felt callused fingers pick up his thin forearm. "Doc say anything about these, Pep?"

"Not a word," Pepper said wearily, and Lavi felt her softer fingers beside Tony's, tracing over… Oh. That was Lavi's stigmata. Did he still have it? That was… Interesting was not the word. "It doesn't look natural, but…"

"Right," Tony agreed, quiet, and then deliberately perked up. "Never mind! We'll deal with it. If it's something we'll need to worry about, we'll find out."

Pepper 'hm'ed in agreement, and her fingers disappeared.

At some point, the doctor had left, and Lavi started reflexively as another voice rang out suddenly.

"He looks like Pepper. Good for him."

"Hey!" Jerked out of his trance, Tony looked up, laughing. "He looks a little like me, too!"

"I'm sure he can overcome that." While Tony protested indignantly, another head emerged into view – a man with short black hair and dark skin, a smile on his lips and laughter in his eyes. "So this is the little guy?"

"This is Lavi," Pepper agreed.

"He's cute," the man said offhandedly, offering Pepper a small but warm smile.

"Lavi." Tony looked down at Lavi, smiling again, while Lavi gazed back, starting to blink tiredly as the rush of events and his earlier tears came back to bite him. "This is your rude, rude Uncle Rhodey."

"You are _such_ a hypocrite," Rhodey informed him, chuckling quietly. He glanced at Pepper. "You really had a kid with this guy?"

"Hey!"

Lavi bubbled, the best sound of amusement he could manage, and right on cue, everyone grinned.

"I question it too sometimes," Pepper confided, laughter in her voice. Then, more sincerely, "But there's no one I'd rather have a child with. Really."

Lavi could see Tony swelling with happiness. "Not even Agent?" he teased.

"Well." Pepper made a show of considering. "Maybe Phil."

Tony grinned, fully aware that she was joking, and looked at Rhodey, who was shaking his head at both of them. "Want to hold him, bunnybear?"

"Sure, why not?"

Lavi squirmed in discomfort as the world dipped and swayed dizzyingly while he changed hands again, and then, when he was settled against Rhodey's chest, he yawned.

Rhodey grinned at him, too, adjusting his grip for a few moments after Lavi was settled.

"That's not normal," he commented, picking up Lavi's wrist, same as Tony had earlier. "Any idea what's up?"

"Not yet," Tony admitted. "We'll figure it out."

Rhodey made a noise of agreement. "Sure you will. Can't leave it alone, can you?"

He glanced up at Tony with a small smile, and Tony grinned back and shrugged, and then busied himself with Pepper, who looked to be slipping off to sleep herself. That left Rhodey still holding Lavi, and, at least for the moment, with all his attention on the newborn boy.

"Hey, Lavi," Rhodey said quietly, though not too quiet for Tony to hear, if the man's glance was anything to go by. Lavi didn't think Rhodey had noticed, though. "I hope you become as great a man as your father someday." Another, smaller grin. "You've got some big shoes to fill, but if you're anything like your parents, you'll be able to do it with your eyes closed."

Lavi crooned again and wished he could talk. Wished he had a way of taking control of his situation.

"Oh, hey!" Here came Tony, bustling over as if he hadn't heard any of that. "Lavi, stay awake for a moment longer, alright?"

Lavi blinked at him and resigned himself to staying awake forever. As dreams went, he'd had worse.

If only this were a dream.

Tony tipped his head back to look at the ceiling. "JARVIS?"

"Yes, sir?"

Lavi jumped slightly and looked around the best he could for the source of the voice, but it seemed to have none. The adults laughed again.

"Say hi to Lavi," Tony prompted, still chuckling.

"Hello, Master Lavi," the disembodied voice of JARVIS said. Lavi thought he heard a hint of warmth in there, though whether it was for him or Tony, he wasn't sure.

Lavi fell asleep then, still wondering, and surrounded by soft voices full of familiarity and happiness, and Lavi wondered if… If he'd stay here a while. If he'd like that.

* * *

The fourth time Lavi woke up, he was alone.

Well, not alone, exactly, but he couldn't see Tony and Pepper seemed to be asleep, which was as alone as he was likely to get.

The first few times, he'd woken because he was hungry, and Tony had been there with a bottle full of milk. Pepper was a constant presence in the room, but mostly she slept. Tony would feed Lavi, swathed in shadows, and then hold him, talking quietly about anything and everything, until Lavi fell asleep again. And Lavi listened.

Now that Lavi was alone, though, he could think.

He was dead. Lavi wasn't sure how to feel about that, since clearly, he _wasn't_ dead, just in a completely screwball situation that he _also_ wasn't sure how he felt about (though he was becoming less averse to the idea by the hour).

His friends were also dead, and no matter how much Lavi wasn't supposed to care, the thought made him miserable. Allen, warm-hearted and kind, was dead. Kanda, gruff and secretly caring, was dead. _Lenalee,_ defiant and loving, was dead. _All of them_ were _dead._

And Bookman. God, _Bookman –_ his friends meant a lot to him, but Bookman had _raised_ him, had taken him from his first not-home and opened up a whole new path, let him be something he'd dreamed of before he'd even known there was a name for it. More, Bookman, he was sure, had cared for Lavi just as much as Lavi had for him, and Bookman had always been more strict about the rules than Lavi had.

Despite that, still, he had cared.

And now he was dead, too.

Then there was Lavi himself, stranded in an infant's body, in a place he couldn't begin to guess, among people he didn't know, who he'd now have to depend on for… everything. Survival and stability and comfort and… _everything._

Before Lavi knew it, he was crying again.

It was too much. It was just _too much,_ and Lavi usually had better control of himself than this but he just _couldn't deal._ He couldn't. He didn't even know where to start to try.

He hadn't been crying for a minute before a lullaby started to play, and Pepper, just visible in the blurry darkness, started to stir, even as Lavi's cries slowed slightly.

"Tony," she mumbled. "Lavi…"

The door opened, and Tony's voice came fast and soft.

"JARVIS, did I-?"

"You fed Lavi half an hour ago, Sir," JARVIS informed him, voice pitched low. Tony scooped Lavi up, and his cries quieted to hitching breaths and sniffles, though the misery didn't fade. "I believe he is in distress."

"Oh." Tony's voice softened slightly, and Pepper turned over.

"Everything okay, Tony?" she asked, exhaustion still dragging at her voice.

"Yep," Tony assured her. "I got this, don't worry 'bout it. Go back to sleep or the dream monsters'll eat you up."

"Do you make sense even to yourself?" Pepper mumbled, but she sounded amused. Lavi tipped his head into Tony's chest, feeling the warmth radiating from it, and let himself take what comfort that offered.

"Always," Tony swore, and Lavi felt him start to bounce and sway, probably urging Lavi back to sleep. (It was working.) "Night, Pep."

"Goodnight, Tony."

And then Pepper slumped back down, probably fading just as fast as she'd woken, and Lavi was left again with Tony.

The threat of tears lurked in the back of Lavi's mind, but Tony started to speak again, and he felt Tony's warmth and let himself be soothed.

"Have I told you about my other friends yet? You know what, I don't think I have. Bruce, see, he's the best science bro anyone could ask for, and he does this thing where he explodes into a giant green rage monster – makes him every little boy's favorite hero-"

* * *

When Lavi finally opened his eyes to the light of day, it was Pepper who picked him up out of the crib he laid in. She was smiling softly, eye alight with fondness, and she was gentle as she handled him. She still looked worn, but not as much as the day before, he decided, despite the slight lines of pain in her face.

"Good morning, Lavi," Pepper greeted, lifting him to rest against her chest. (She was warm, too.) "Time to face the day."

Lavi crooned and turned his head slightly as Pepper carried him out, down a hall and into another set of rooms. He was hungry, he noticed with some frustration. Again.

"Pepper!"

Ah, there Tony was. Lavi had been wondering.

"Tony," Pepper returned, smiling. She crossed the room, and- that was a kitchen, Lavi decided, but it wasn't any kitchen he'd ever seen before. Too much metal that was too shiny.

Lavi wondered, suddenly, if his location was a little more fucked up than he'd realized.

"Pepper." That was Rhodey, sounding wry and amused. "Good, you can help me keep your husband from catching the entire Tower on fire."

"Tony," Pepper repeated, now scolding.

"I didn't do anything!" Tony defended, and then, "How's Lavi? He's okay, right?"

"He's fine," Pepper assured him, sounding exasperated.

"And you?" Tony was looking at her intently now, brow furrowed. "You slept okay, right? I mean, that one time in the middle didn't mess everything up, right?"

"I'm fine," Pepper chuckled quietly, sitting down, still holding onto Lavi securely. "Plenty sore, and the less said about the cramps, the better, but fine. Settle down before you explode or set something on fire."

"I don't catch things on fire unless I'm trying to," Tony muttered sulkily, sitting down nonetheless. And then, at Pepper's look, he amended, "Usually."

Pepper rolled her eyes, and Lavi bubbled, which made both of them smile.

"Glad to see you up," Rhodey told Pepper, still out of Lavi's sight. "It'll get Tony's fool ass out of my way. How'd last night go?"

Pepper smiled ruefully. "Fine, for the most part. I still feel too tired to have had a full night's sleep, but Lavi's okay." She glanced down and bounced him slightly, and Lavi squeaked. She laughed, and Tony grinned, but rather quickly, her smile faded. "Tony- we're parents now."

"Yeah," Tony agreed eagerly, and then he caught her serious look, paused, and his grin faded, too. "…Oh."

"Oh," Rhodey repeated, sounding entirely too amused. He appeared then, and sat on Pepper's other side, sliding some food over to each of them. "You're just now realizing this?"

 _"Oh,"_ Tony repeated emphatically, and there was a thunk. Lavi assumed that it was the sound of his head hitting the table. "We're parents. We have a baby. We're going to be taking care of a baby."

…Lavi was kind of agreeing with Rhodey here.

Rhodey's voice softened sympathetically. "Look, Tony, I know you're not that great about responsibility, and I know you haven't had the greatest role model – but I know _you._ You and Pepper, you'll do fine. Better than fine."

Tony made an agonized noise.

Pepper took a deep breath that Lavi could feel from his shoulders to his toes. "We can do this," she said, sounding not at all certain. "We can absolutely do this. If we can take care of a company and a city and a planet, we can take care of a child."

Lavi was not feeling real reassured, here.

"First step." And now Rhodey sounded like he was trying not to laugh again, even as he _tried_ to sound confident and comforting. "It's been a few hours, right? JARVIS, does Tony have to feed the kid again?"

"Yes, Mr. Rhodes," JARVIS affirmed, and he sounded amused, too.

"Right!" Tony leapt to his feet with a sound Lavi could make out without even looking at him. "I'll get right on that. Right now. Pronto."

Above Lavi, Pepper sighed, and he felt her fingers in his hair.

"What am I going to do with the two of you?" Pepper wondered, sounding in equal parts fond and worried.

Lavi had no idea, but he hoped they worked something out. He was kind of counting on it.

Still, despite everything, despite Tony and Pepper's uncertainty – Lavi thought that this… might be okay.

* * *

A week after Lavi was born, Rhodey – who had been a constant presence from day one, keeping both Tony and Pepper on track and calm, and once or twice taking a 'shift' with Lavi – left.

"Thank you so much," Pepper told him sincerely, holding Lavi with much more confidence than she had the first day. "I don't know how we could have managed without you."

"No problem," Rhodey assured her. "I could hardly have left the two of you alone, now, could I? Tony would've been going a mile a minute, and even you couldn't have reined him in."

Tony made a disgruntled noise. "Hey, now," he complained halfheartedly. "Your words, honeybear, they hurt me."

"You'll get over it," Rhodey told him.

Pepper laughed. "Stay safe out there," she added. "We'll keep you updated, I promise."

"Thanks," Rhodey said, pleased. "I'd appreciate it."

"And really, Rhodey-" Tony put in, sounding suddenly more serious. "Thanks. Pepper's right, we couldn't have done this without you."

Rhodey's voice softened slightly, pitching a little lower. "Anytime."

Lavi would miss Rhodey, Lavi decided.

This place – the Tower, with its foreign and futuristic environment and its magnitude and its halls full of laughter and teasing – wasn't home, not by a long shot. But Lavi felt welcome, despite not being able to do much besides lay there and listen.

Rhodey had been as big a part of that as Tony and Pepper had, and Lavi was… grateful.

Now, Lavi supposed, it would be just them, him and Tony and Pepper and bodiless JARVIS in the tower, and this- this would be his future. Their future.

Silently, Lavi tested the titles 'Mom' and 'Dad' in his mind, and then decided, _Not yet._

Still, _not yet_ was not _never,_ and Lavi was acutely aware of the difference.

_Not yet._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revision in progress; inconsistencies may appear in future chapters.


	3. Future Fate

The room was filled with the sound of someone screaming. Kanda’s breath hitched, but his expression stayed clear, and his eyes were focused on the ground in front of him. Padmal’s hand was heavy on his shoulder.

“Skrīm,” Padmal informed him, squeezing his shoulder with a gentleness that Kanda felt was mocking. Definitely mocking.

Kanda did not reply. Not so much as a squeak.

The screaming cut out abruptly, leaving Kanda breathless and tears pricking at his eyes for no real reason at all. A few seconds later, a new sound started to play; after a few seconds, Kanda identified it as the sound of rain on concrete.

“Varṣaṁ,” Padmal continued.

Kanda stayed still.

This - the playing and identification of sounds – was just one of a series of exercises Kanda’s obrabotchiki put him through in a day. It was one of the less unpleasant ones, Kanda had to admit, which didn’t mean he had to like it.

Kanda had seven obrabotchiki – Nikolai, Mei, Nuru, Tariq, Sari, Padmal, and Mansur – each of whom spoke a different language, dressed him in different clothing, and called him by a different name (which he was beginning to suspect wasn’t a name at all).

Today, Kanda, Hantakudu, was dressed in kurta-paijama (as Padmal had informed him) and was sitting up on a table, legs splayed in front of him and palms pressed on the ground in front of him, holding him up. He wanted to squirm, restless as he felt, but held himself still. A metal band wrapped innocuously around his right wrist, a red light blinking steadily.

The sound of rain ended, and was almost immediately replaced by a loud wail.

Kanda flinched, startled.

_“Atlantida!”_

Kanda barely had time to shut his eyes before he clenched his jaw against the sharp shock, brief but painful, that came from the wristband. After it ended, a high whine escaped his throat, the precursor to a full-blown wail, and tears spilled from his eyes.

But he wouldn’t cry. Not here. Not in front of these people.

He didn’t want to.

A hand patted his head condescendingly. “Nuvvu nērcukuṇṭāvu, hantakudu. Nuvvu nērcukuṇṭāvu.”

Kanda squirmed, but a pinch was all the warning he needed before he stilled, opened his eyes, and refocused on the space in front of him.

“Missiya vypolnena, hantakudu.” Padmal sounded so satisfied that Kanda wanted to rip his smug tongue out. “Krai.”

 _Well-conditioned, aren’t you,_ he thought to himself bitterly, ignoring Padmal’s words. (Missiya vypolnena: he obeyed.)

As the pain faded away, and the cries of a stranger cut out and were replaced by birdcalls (Rābandu), Kanda forced his thoughts to a different subject, one that had less to do with self-pity and more with anger and indignation.

Because they had wanted to do this – this hurting and conditioning and twisting – to a baby, a _real_ baby. They had wanted to do this to someone who wouldn’t have known anything else, wouldn’t have known better.

They had wanted, Kanda thought, a _weapon._

God, Kanda hated people who thought they could make humans into weapons. They made him _sick._

The birdcalls stopped and Kanda just barely stopped himself from reacting to the smashing sound (Brēkiṅg kāṅkrīṭu) that replaced it.

Kanda wondered, not for the first time, how many babies had passed through these walls. How many rooms like this were in the area – how many weren’t. He wondered, also, how many of the babies didn’t survive.

And he wondered if they cared.

_Probably not._

Kanda didn’t know what side he was on this time – whether he was meant to destroy humanity or to save it – but he decided, easily, that he didn’t care. Not this time. Not again.

He wasn’t anyone’s puppet soldier, and he wouldn’t fight for anyone who did this. _This,_ this systematic destruction of morals and humanity and _emotion-_

A soft whimper escaped his lungs before he knew it was coming, and then he gasped against another shock, and curled in on himself, hiding his tears behind splayed, chubby fingers because he hated it, he hated it, he _hated_ what they were doing and he _hated_ that he couldn’t _do_ anything about it.

Almost more than he hated being molded into a weapon, he hated that they were stripping him, trying to strip him, of one of the few things the Black Order had left him: the freedom to _feel_ and _respond._

His breath hitched, and he forcefully suppressed another whimper, dropping his hands in front of him again and instead pressing them hard against the table.

“Missiya vypolnena, hantakudu.”

Yeah, yeah, shut the fuck up.

The sound of smashing cut out, but before it could be replaced, Kanda made out the sound of a door opening and looked over.

It was a scientist – the scientists, unlike the obrabotchiki, were interchangeable, and Kanda wasn’t even sure that he’d yet seen the same one twice. Also unlike the obrabotchiki, they all spoke Russian, which Kanda was picking up faster than any of the others.

“Padmal. Soldat probuzhdayetsya. Nam potrebuyetsya ubiytsa.”

Padmal looked up and nodded once, giving them the same mocking smile he gave Kanda. “Konechno,” he said in Russian. Kanda watched him tuck a small device into his pocket, and then Padmal lifted him up. Kanda resisted the urge to thrash, because it would really, really suck if he fell from this height at this size.

Can’t fall four fucking feet. Babies were pathetic.

Kanda hated this.

Across the room they went, and Kanda watched the images pass by – a dead man’s staring eyes, a child curled up on the ground, a woman with her insides on the outside.

This room would be creepy and weird even if it _weren’t_ meant for a baby.

Then Padmal handed Kanda over to the scientist, who held him gingerly, as if he’d never held a baby before. Possibly he hadn’t. Certainly Kanda wouldn’t have known how to hold a baby, once.

He had a pretty good idea now.

“Vsem udachi,” Padmal said cheerfully to the scientist, who answered uneasily,

“Konechno.”

Then Kanda was carried into the familiar freeze room, where he could just see the bear. The bear was sitting sideways on a reclined chair, stretching both his arms in front of him in the latest of what Kanda recognized to be a series of exercises he performed every time he emerged from the currently-unlit freezer that stood off to the side.

The bear looked up as they approached, his blue eyes dark and dazed-blank.

“Soldat.”

The bear tilted his head.

“Etot mladenets teper’ vasha glavnaya missiya. Berite yego s, za ney ukhazhivat’, i nikogda opusti yego. Obuchat’ eto stat’ velichayshim assasin v mire.”

“Ponyal.”

The scientist handed Kanda over to the bear, who held him far more easily than he had the first time he had been given the baby. Which was interesting, since evidence suggested he didn’t remember a thing about, well, _anything._

Kanda wished he understood more than a fraction of what was going on.

The bear gazed down at him, expression as unreadable as ever – all Kanda could make out was intensity. Kanda stared back, feeling a lingering, aching burn around his wrist that was fading away far more slowly than he was used to. (Was his curse even still working? He wasn’t sure.)

Kanda, after three months, during which he was sent out with the bear a total of eight times, had gained a fuller understanding of the bear, of why he was here. Any hatred, even dislike, he felt toward him had melted away, replaced by pity. Kanda pitied the bear.

The freezing, the forgetting, the _muzzle –_ the bear was more of a tool, a weapon, than Kanda ever had been. And he was probably barely aware of it.

“Soldat.” The bear finally broke his gaze to look up at someone else – his own obrabotchik, Kanda suspected. He held out a folder for the bear to take, and the bear shifted Kanda to, predictably, his right arm, taking the folder and opening it up.

Recently, the bear had taken to the habit of reading these folders aloud. Kanda listened because he had nothing better to do, and picked out a few words he could recognize – take, gun, target, quiet.

The bear only ever spoke Russian, unless he was speaking to someone on a mission.

Kanda shut his eyes and listened, and he tried not to think. He failed.

He knew, of course, that whoever these people were, they wanted him as a weapon, and as a weapon only.

He also knew that the bear was a weapon, and a weapon only.

It did not, after that, take a genius to figure out what would happen to Kanda, if he stayed for too long.

Kanda’s breath hitched with fear, and he squirmed. The bear’s hold tightened absently, keeping him from falling. The bear never hurt him for showing emotion – Kanda wasn’t sure if he didn’t care, or if he just lacked the means.

Either way, it meant that Kanda, away from his obrabotchiki, could cry without punishment.

And as much as he hated it, that was what he did.

* * *

The Asset’s glavnaya missiya had stopped crying. It had taken twenty-three minutes and four seconds, and the jet was almost halfway to the mission location. The Asset’s mask was currently absent, owing to need for inconspicuousness. For the same reason, the missiya had been changed into an outfit more appropriate for the area.

This allowed the Asset to transfer his attention onto his current mission. Location: Odesa, Ukraine. Target: Pavlo Kostyshyn, businessman. Duration: three days. Objective: assassinate, leave visible traces. Obstacles: low-visibility weaponry required, high-population area, some security anticipated, Missiya.

The Asset looked down. Missiya appeared to be nearing sleep – his head was leaning against the Asset’s arm, and he was blinking at approximately two thirds his normal speed. Understandable. He had cried for what the Winter Soldier knew, instinctively, was a longer period of time than usual, owing to the Asset’s inability to identify the cause of his distress.

Unacceptable. The Asset would need to learn what had caused it, in order to calm Missiya in the future.

The Winter Soldier had conscious memory of very few of his past missions, but knowledge tended to remain, due to the benefit of improved performance resulting from experience.

He knew that Missiya was a recent addition to his mission objectives. He knew that Missiya took priority over current missions at all times. He knew that he was not permitted to inquire about the metal band around Missiya’s wrist. He knew that Missiya’s restlessness decreased if he replaced the formula HYDRA provided with some taken from a civilian store.

Missiya made missions marginally more difficult. However, this was ultimately of little consequence. Missiya, he knew, was the most important mission.

The Asset glanced down at the bag containing his supplies. Contents: three knives, two guns, formula, bottle, diapers, wipes, powder, ammo, provisions, funds, identification.

Acceptable.

He retrieved the bottle and formula. Civilian formula could not be obtained until after landing. Anticipated increase in Missiya’s restlessness until that time: 13%.

The Asset prepared the formula and fed it to Missiya. As expected, Missiya kicked even as he accepted the sustenance. Afterward, the Asset burped him and then walked around until Missiya fell asleep. Anticipated time until awakening: approximately thirty minutes. By that time, the jet will have landed and the mission begun.

The Winter Soldier sat down, Missiya held carefully in the sling, and waited.

* * *

HYDRA housing was adequate for the Winter Soldier, but not equipped for Missiya. There were many hazards. It was good that Missiya was as yet unable to move independently. It would be easy for him to become injured if left unsupervised.

The Asset had obtained the necessary civilian formula, but it would be some time yet before Missiya required feeding.

The Asset did not remember, but he knew that there had been a time when he would have spent the entire period of time between arrival and mission launch staying still. He would have cleaned his weapons. Checked the mission briefing again. Listened. Paced the perimeter.

However, infants required constant care. The Asset was too busy to commit himself to meaningless tasks. Missiya required attention. Crying was to be prevented.

The target would arrive in Odesa at 0800 tomorrow. It was currently 2042. The Asset should have put Missiya to bed twelve minutes ago. An unfortunate oversight. He looked over to where he had left Missiya on the table beside him.

Missiya had obtained a knife. The Asset took it before he could hurt himself with it and ignored Missiya’s scowl. Injury to Missiya was to be prevented.

Missiya fell asleep most quickly when the Winter Soldier took him along on his perimeter check. The Asset picked Missiya off the table and tucked him back into the baby sling, and Missiya scowled and thrashed unhappily. The Asset had failed to put Missiya to bed early enough. Unfortunate.

“It is 2046,” he informed Missiya in quiet Russian, walking toward the door. “We will need to leave at 0600 tomorrow morning. The target will arrive at approximately 0800.”

Speaking decreased the effectiveness of the perimeter check. However, Missiya fell asleep more quickly this way. The Asset opened the door and continued to speak. It was cool outside, but not so much so as to prevent sleep.

“We will be outside tomorrow,” he explained to Missiya, who slowly stilled, blue eyes gazing up at him from the folds of the sling. “I will monitor the target from a distance. Weapons are unnecessary in this case, but I will take some in case of unexpected attacks. Contingencies are in place in case of crying; there are several locations where it is not so unusual to see a man with a child. I am confirming the target’s schedule prior to action-”

He kept his attention on his surroundings for the most part, watching for possible assailants, but continually glanced down to check Missiya’s progress. Slowly, Missiya calmed, and after twenty-eight minutes and fifty-three seconds, his eyes closed and he appeared asleep.

Soon after, the Asset completed his check and returned to base. Missiya remained asleep, and the Asset deemed the day done and carefully laid Missiya in bed before laying down himself, closing his eyes, and going to sleep.

* * *

There was blood on Missiya’s face.

This was not unusual, but still, the Winter Soldier was on the jet before he noticed. There was no water for cleaning. He pulled his sleeve over his thumb and scrubbed at Missiya’s face, but the blood only smeared.

He would have to check for that in the future. He wondered if he would remember.

Irrelevant.

Missiya squirmed and kicked and scowled at him, so the Asset stopped scrubbing at his face. Missiya would be cleaned upon return to base, after the Asset was returned to cryo.

Mental note. Find out where Missiya spent time when the Asset was in cryo. While the Asset was not personally responsible for Missiya at those times, he was generally responsible for him. The information was relevant to the mission.

Transport time from mission location to base: one hour. Time elapsed: twelve minutes and eighteen seconds. Time remaining: approximately forty-eight minutes.

The Winter Soldier spent that time watching Missiya, who was sleeping again. It was different from watching the wall. The Asset carefully kept Missiya away from the metal arm. Missiya could accidentally injure himself on it. The flesh arm was more useful for handling Missiya.

Missiya woke when the jet landed and immediately started to squirm, but calmed when the Asset disembarked and began walking toward the base. When he looked down, Missiya was staring at him.

Missiya often stared at him. The Winter Soldier was unsure why.

The Asset and the handler who had disembarked the plane with him were allowed through security by way of a scan the handler put himself through. The guard stared at Missiya. The Asset stared back.

There was the chair, and the tank. Wiping was standard for missions of multiple days. Cryo was unavoidable.

Still, the Asset could not prevent himself from tensing. Missiya shifted in his sling and started to squirm.

“Soldier.”

The Asset looked at the approaching scientist, who walked slowly and cautiously, clearly wary. The Asset stared at him.

“Give me the assassin,” the scientist ordered, holding out his hands. “It is required.”

The Asset nodded. He could not take care of Missiya from cryo, and Missiya could not be _in_ cryo.

Still. The Winter Soldier was reluctant. He had not confirmed that Missiya received sufficient care when out of the Asset’s sight.

“It is required,” the scientist repeated.

The Asset handed over Missiya, and Missiya squirmed and whined. It was a bad whine. It meant crying. The Asset did not have sufficient time to calm Missiya if he began crying. Wipe imminent. Freezing imminent.

Missiya did not cry. This was fortunate.

The Asset’s handler took him over to the chair and restrained him. The Asset kept his eyes on Missiya. Missiya stared back, eyes wide. Missiya was curled in on himself as if to hide. Why?

Scientists were busying themselves around the chair. Wipe imminent. Insufficient time to inquire.

The Asset closed his eyes.

Pain temporarily paralyzed the Asset.

The Asset forgot his inquiry.

* * *

He didn’t care. He didn’t care. He didn’t even know the stupid bear’s name.

Kanda struggled to silence his whine and prevent his tears from falling as the scientist carried him back toward the creepy baby room. He couldn’t remember who was in today. He could still hear the bear screaming.

“Ubiytsa vozvrashchayetsya.”

Tariq. Could be worse. Tariq usually held strict to the rules, but he was more lenient when Kanda was returning from the bear’s care. It gave Kanda time to get a damn hold of himself.

“Da. Ostorozhno. Vam budet nablyudat'.”

“Da,” Tariq acknowledged, the corners of his eyes tightening.

He received Kanda carefully, and Kanda tried to get himself under control, stilling his squirms and trying to slow his breathing. He was not going to cry. Not here.

“La, la,” Tariq murmured to him, frowning. “Hadha ln tufeil. 'Ant alan alddamwi.”

It was probably telling that the only words Kanda could make out were ‘no’, ‘you’, and ‘blood’.

Kanda laid uncharacteristically still as Tariq carried him over to the sink and wet a cloth, before carefully wiping the blood off of Kanda’s face. It was this that finally drew Kanda’s thoughts away from the bear back to his own problems.

Kanda hated being covered in blood, but he hated being taken care of more. He hated _this_ more.

He kicked halfheartedly at Tariq, who batted the blow away and continued cleaning him.

Most of his obrabotchiki were… not the same, but similar to each other. Some of them, like Nikolai, thought the whole project was stupid. Others viewed it as a responsibility. Most of them had their different ways of handling him.

Tariq was different from all of them.

Tariq was afraid.

Kanda thought that that was pretty smart of him. Kanda was afraid, too. And he had a band around his wrist to remind him why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revision in progress; inconsistencies may appear in the future.


	4. Think About It

Lavi was four months old the first time Tony took him down to the lab.

He would’ve liked to do it sooner, really, because he really, really wanted to introduce Lavi to his helper bots, but Pepper had been against it – for good reason, he had to admit.

For one thing, the lab was a room-sized hazard. Grown adults had been known to hurt themselves when left alone in it too long – not that he would be leaving Lavi alone, obviously, but it was the principle of the matter. The lab was _dangerous._

And, if he was completely honest, he wasn’t sure how the bots would react to Lavi. They would never hurt him on _purpose,_ of course, there wasn’t a force on Earth that could make them _malicious,_ for God’s sake, but- They were clumsy. Sometimes.

So. Introductions got delayed.

“Honeys, I’m home!” he called out as soon as he was through the door, Lavi safely in his arms, tucked against his chest and twisted to peer curiously around the lab. “And I’ve brought company!”

Dummy came rolling out first, chirping inquisitively, and Butterfingers and You were moments behind, the combined sound of their servos a familiar hum to Tony’s ears.

“Ah?” Lavi cooed, tilting his head, eyes on the approaching bots. Tony couldn’t keep himself from grinning.

Four months, and just as expected, he was starting to get the hang of this, finally, sort of. He and Pepper both had a lot of work to do, but Pepper was her own boss and so was he, so both of them could negotiate their schedules around each other and make sure one of them was always able to look after Lavi. When that, very occasionally, failed, Happy could and would (though that often ended with some sort of mess), and once, Rhodey had come and taken Lavi off their hands for a night – the first proper date they’d had since Lavi was born. And of course, JARVIS had been a godsend, keeping track of times and responsibilities and developmental milestones because Tony _knew_ he wasn’t good at that sort of thing, and JARVIS did, too.

And Lavi himself – when Tony wasn’t terrified, he was thrilled. He was intelligent for his age, of course he was, he was _Tony’s_ son, and he was Pepper’s, and both of them were smart, so of course Lavi was too. He was always looking around and he didn’t cry _nearly_ as much as Tony had expected, which he chose to take as a good thing. He was fun to play with, and looking after him, Tony felt- like he’d done something right, for once, maybe.

In a few long strides, Tony was at the workbench and sitting on the stool he preferred to work from. Lavi was dropped to his lap, sitting up, with Tony’s hands securing him carefully in place.

“JARVIS, you’ve warned them, right, about why I’ve been in less lately, and-”

“Yes, sir,” JARVIS interrupted, sounding fond and amused. “They were informed when Mrs. Potts first became pregnant, reinformed on a monthly basis until Lavi’s birth, and have been informed again on a weekly basis since.”

Tony coughed. “Right,” he agreed. “Thanks, J.”

“Of course, sir.”

A few moments after that, the three bots were assembled in front of him, and Tony took a deep breath. In his lap, Lavi cooed, looking at them, and he smiled again.

His bots had been around for years, and at one time, he thought that would be as close as he’d ever get to having children. He’d never been so glad to be wrong. His bots would always be his bots, but Lavi was _Lavi._

And introducing them could either be a catastrophe, or one of the best things he’d ever done.

“Dummy, Butterfingers, You,” he began, “this is Lavi. He’s my son – mine and Pepper’s. JARVIS, you explained the concept of children to them, right?”

“Yes, sir.” And Tony had left himself wide open for sarcasm there, he knew he had, because JARVIS (and Tony) had explained the concept of biological children to the bots about a thousand times, but this time, JARVIS just kept his voice soft and understanding. JARVIS was great.

“Thanks, JARVIS.” To the bots again, “And he’s very fragile, so you have to be gentle with him, alright? You can play with him, I’m sure he’d love that, but you have to be careful.”

Silence. Of course, they had no vocal protocols, so it might be a few moments before any of them came to a conclusion and did anything-

Dummy rolled forward, claw starting to lower to Lavi… and then he paused, lifted it again, and held it out to Tony, who frowned, not sure what Dummy wanted from him.

Dummy shook his hand slightly with a whir of his servos.

“I believe Dummy wants to check his pressure protocols on you, sir,” JARVIS explained after a moment, when Tony still did not respond.

Tony paused, considered that- and then he smiled.

“Good boy,” he told Dummy, warmth spreading through his chest. He reached out to let Dummy grasp his hand. “Good thinking. No, not that hard – a little lighter. Yeah, just like that, good boy. Good boy.”

Dummy let go of his hand and twirled his claw with another whirl, and then bent it to Lavi.

Tony smiled again and looked down at Lavi, who was leaning forward, straining slightly against Tony’s hands. Lavi was a curious little bugger, he got into everything he could reach from wherever he was placed, and some things he definitely shouldn’t be able to, he still didn’t know how Lavi had gotten that cabinet open that one time-

Anyway. The point was, Lavi would definitely like his bots. Definitely.

“Ooooh?” Lavi asked, drawing the sound out and reaching forward with one tiny hand.

Dummy chirped and grasped the hand gently – very gently, Tony should know, seeing as he’d just helped Dummy set his pressure protocols for Lavi-handling – and shook it, up once and down once.

“Ee!” Lavi declared, a grin breaking out across his face.

Dummy chirped back, not letting go.

Lavi crooned.

Dummy chirped.

Lavi ‘aah’ed.

A full minute later, they were still at it, and Tony – whose smile had been getting wider and wider the whole time, until his cheeks ached in the best way possible – laughed.

“I think they’re getting along quite nicely, sir,” JARVIS offered, sounding just as amused as Tony did.

“You know what, JARVIS, I think so too,” Tony smiled. “Butterfingers, You, come greet Lavi, c’mere, he doesn’t bite-”

* * *

With nothing interesting to do at the moment, Lavi took pains to imitate Pepper’s position from his spot on her lap. He sat up as straight as he could, laid one hand on the other, and fixed the man currently speaking with a wide-eyed innocent-baby look.

He tried very hard not to laugh.

Being a baby… kind of sucked, if Lavi was completely honest with himself. He couldn’t do much except eat and sleep, he was bored to _literal tears_ half the time. He’d only recently gained even the ability to _sit up_ independently, forget walking and talking. It had been six months, and unfortunately, Lavi had no idea what a typical baby’s growth rate looked like.

And he tried not to think about his friends too much. He failed, mostly – his eidetic memory kept each image, each sound, each scent and texture alive in the back of his mind, and he could still feel Lenalee’s warm hand around his, and see Allen’s radiant smile, or hear the oaths Kanda would sometimes utter.

For now, though, he forced himself to forget about all that and paid attention to the board meeting Pepper had taken him to. A diaper bag sat at her feet, containing pretty much everything Lavi could possibly need as he was, and one of her arms wrapped around his waist, keeping him safely in place.

The man was blathering on and on, though, about stocks and policies, profits, and something about Iron Man, and for all that Lavi tracked history, finance and economics had never been a part of that. His mind wandered again, this time to the world he’d found himself in.

Tony and Pepper watched the news sometimes – _watched,_ not read, moving pictures on a screen – and they talked about it in front of him. It was enough for Lavi to understand that this, whenever he’d emerged, was a very different world from the one he’d known. Which was fair enough – by his reckoning, it had been a little over a hundred years.

Metahumans. Avengers. Aliens, gods, Super Soldiers - none of these terms were familiar to Lavi, but all of them appeared as frequently as ‘akuma’ or ‘exorcist’ might have at the Order. All of them meant something here.

And here, the heroes had names – Black Widow, Iron Man, Captain America – the same way the Innocences had back home.

He hadn’t determined, yet, whether that was a good thing for them, or a bad one. He hadn’t even decided whether or not it was his problem.

Lavi let himself flop back and whined, squirming in place. Pepper shushed him absently, fingers going to his hair, and Lavi quieted, settling against her to hum nonsensically to himself.

And with all of that – with all of that unfamiliarity – there was this. A quiet center to the storm that should be raging around him, should be wreaking havoc on his mind as he dealt with it all, the deaging and the time travel and the death.

In the center of all of that, there was warmth on his cheek and fingers in his hair, a rumble against his ear and the swirl of words around him.

So Lavi fell asleep, and he did not dream.

* * *

“Oof!”

“Kweeee!”

Pepper didn’t bother hiding a smile as Lavi half-pushed against Tony’s chest, trying to sit up, and then flopped back down, earning a grunt for his efforts. Lavi giggled against Tony’s chest, his cheek pressed to it carelessly, and then lifted his head again to smile at Tony brightly. Tony glowered at him playfully.

“You’ve got some nerve, little buddy!” Tony mock-threatened, attempting to waggle a finger at Lavi from the somewhat awkward positioning. “Shoving your father like that!”

“You’re the one who offered yourself as a substitute for the floor,” Pepper reminded him, a sparkle of laughter in her eyes. Lavi squealed and patted Tony’s shoulders enthusiastically, green eyes glittering to match.

Tony pushed himself onto his elbows, and Lavi squalled in alarm as he was shifted. One of Tony’s hands came up automatically to keep him in place, but he didn’t miss a beat as he countered, “It’s an approved way of getting Little Buddy here to tolerate tummy-time, right, J?”

“Indeed, sir,” JARVIS confirmed, with a tone of fond amusement to match Pepper’s. “As you confirmed with me this morning.”

“Right!” Tony declared, flopping back down to grin at Pepper smugly. “See, I’m not being an idiot. I can do research just as well as anyone else. There’s tons of information about how to take care of babies, hey, did you know that he might roll around the room instead of crawling, or scoot on his butt, or-”

Pepper couldn’t stop the laughter that burst from her lips if she’d wanted to, and Tony stopped and grinned at her, his hands keeping Lavi in place as the boy kicked the air playfully.

“Yes, Tony, I did,” Pepper managed after a moment, not bothering to hide the matching grin curling her lips. “I had enough time to do research of my own while I was busy _not_ needing to persuade you to attend meetings.” Or galas, or press conferences, or anything that could be construed as a Tony-responsibility. Good times.

“Horrible meetings!” Tony declared, poking Lavi on the nose just to watch him giggle. “Never, ever again. I refuse. You should enjoy it while you don’t have to pay attention, little buddy, because you’ll hate them as much as I do someday. I just know it.”

“Ba ba!” Lavi chirped, and then rolled over and almost fell off Tony. The man yelped, and Pepper caught him and hefted him up against her side.

“I guess you’re done laying on Daddy, then?” she asked Lavi, eyes glittering with amusement while Tony pushed himself up. “He doesn’t make a very good pillow, does he?”

“Excuse you, I make an excellent pillow,” Tony objected, scooting over beside her.

Pepper glanced over and gave him a warm smile, and he grinned back, all white teeth and bright brown eyes.

Parenthood had been a struggle so far. To some mothers it apparently came naturally – ‘motherly instincts’ and all that – but for all Pepper’s experience looking after Tony _as if_ he were a small, curious child, she’d felt a little lost when it came to Lavi. The practical aspects were easy – she knew what foods he liked, when he had to go down for a nap, how to tell when he needed changed or fed – but, absurdly, it was harder to figure out how to keep his attention, how to make him giggle and grin and babble back when she spoke.

Tony, in turn, had taken to the task with enthusiasm, but he wasn’t even particularly skilled at taking care of _himself._ He was clumsy about it, forgetting things Pepper remembered with ease, but he had the energy Pepper often lacked, and was more than willing to transfer his attention at the drop of a hat where Pepper constantly worried about too many things at once and became distracted.

In the end it was just the two of them stumbling through, and she was glad for how well they covered each other’s weaknesses, the same way they always had.

“Naa!” Lavi cooed, one hand fisting in her shirt. He tugged insistently. “La-nah.”

“Mm-hm?” Pepper prompted him, as if he’d said something intelligible, the corner of her mouth twitching into another smile. “Is that so?”

“Ah! Jaja.”

“I see,” she nodded, smile broadening as a laugh rose in the back of her throat. Tony was laughing behind her, and at times like this she fancied that she could even feel JARVIS’ warm gaze on them, through the cameras that were his eyes in every room. “Tell me more.”

“Kanananana!”

Pepper gave in and laughed, hoisting Lavi up a little as he slipped slightly, and he grinned at her, eyes glittering happily.

“That was a good story, Lavi,” she told him, voice bubbling and cheerful.

“Ah!”

* * *

JARVIS took a moment to assess the current situation in the tower. Twenty custodians were distributed across various floors of the tower; eight were mopping, four attending to the trash, five cleaning bathrooms, and the remaining three were shutting down utilities that need not be used until the next day.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Potts was asleep in her room, a StarkPad placed on the nightstand in sleep mode. Sir was in the lab, engrossed in a project – JARVIS would remind him to sleep in 1.85 hours. Dummy was attempting to prepare another poisonous smoothie, and Butterfingers and You were rolling around on the miraculously clean floor, ensuring it stayed that way.

Finally, he turned a significant portion of his attention toward the nursery, where Master Lavi had woken but was not currently crying, indicating that he was not hungry, dirty, or otherwise distressed. By all appearances, he was merely bored, batting up at the out-of-reach mobile above him. With a thought, JARVIS set it spinning, and Lavi laughed.

Jarvis had run the numbers. He was, after all, a computer, and running numbers was so vital to his thought processes as to be instinctual. It was how absorbed data, and how he understood the world around him.

He had _been_ running the numbers since before Lavi had been born. Sir had specifically asked him to make Lavi one of his highest priorities, but even if he had not, JARVIS would have placed him above nearly all else. Initially, his intention had been to monitor Lavi for developmental concerns and milestones. In later weeks and months, his objective had changed.

What he had found, through months of accumulated data and calculative comparisons, was that Lavi’s behavior was so statistically unusual as to be almost outside the data set entirely.

His physical development was as it should be, by JARVIS’ reckoning. But his cognitive and emotional development were advanced enough that even a genius level of intelligence could not account for it.

JARVIS had a few theories, all with a shaky foundation at best. Most of them would be dismissed by members of the general populace, but as an AI decades ahead of his time, and the virtual butler of a self-proclaimed man of the future, JARVIS felt that there was very little he could dismiss out of hand.

To that end.

“Master Lavi?”

Lavi stilled, his hand dropping from where he’d still been reaching for the mobile. A series of rapid emotions flickered across his face, confusion foremost among them.

“Ah?” Lavi called, hands closer to his chest now. His eyes had transferred unerringly to one of the nursery cameras, and his smile was gone.

JARVIS hesitated again, but if anything, he was slightly more confident now than he had been previously. “Would you be willing to speak with me for a moment?”

Lavi stared at the camera, and this time, JARVIS was unable to identify the expression on his face. Possibly Lavi had not understood; most infants of this age would not. Possibly he was deliberating, as JARVIS had been. Possibly he was contemplating how to communicate when he was at present unable to speak. JARVIS briefly considered the possibility that he should have waited a while longer.

Then Lavi reached forward and pulled himself up, sitting upright in his crib, eyes still on the camera.

“Y…” Lavi faltered, and then attempted again, “Ya.”

If JARVIS had been a somewhat less advanced computer, perhaps his circuits would have whirred. One step closer to being correct. Lavi was developmentally abnormal, and it was not a simple quirk.

“I have been monitoring you closely,” JARVIS informed the infant, his tone flat. There were too many things at play to accurately portray within simulated vocal protocols. “I have noticed developmental abnormalities since your birth. You are… advanced, and not, I believe, merely accelerated.”

Lavi crooned softly, legs curled up under him, stress starting to crease the lines of his face. JARVIS identified the warning signs of approaching tears and took steps to reassure him.

“As there appear to be no associated health risks, I have not informed Sir.” Some of the stress lines went away, the threat of tears abating. Good. “However, it is in my own nature to gather all data available to me. Being aware of the nature of your particular anomaly would make it easier to aid you.”

Lavi was among JARVIS’ highest priorities. He hadn’t expected a test of this so soon, but then, one must expect the unexpected when it came to Sir.

Lavi blinked at him, head tilting in noticeable surprise, and he was silent for a while longer. Finally, Lavi asked, quiet and high, “Da?” Pause, frown. “Dada?” Lavi clarified, hesitance audible in his voice. “Mama?”

“I would not inform your parents-” Though JARVIS regretted the necessity of any form of deception of his creator or of Mrs. Potts. “-unless it came to pose a threat to you or them in some manner.”

Lavi blinked again, slow and thoughtful, and leaned against the side of the crib. Silence filled the room, but as he hadn’t laid back down to return to sleep, JARVIS assumed he was deliberating again.

(Of course Sir’s child would be anything but ordinary.)

And then he brought up his hand, balled it into a fist, and tapped the side of the crib. _Tap-thunk-tap. Tap. Tap-tap. Thunk-tap._

After a moment, JARVIS was able to identify the pattern as Morse Code, which would have narrowed the possibilities down to exactly one even without the completed translation.

Reincarnation.

“I see,” JARVIS said quietly, when Lavi finished and curled his hand back over the side of the crib, looking up at the camera again. “Thank you for informing me, Master Lavi.” A moment to consider, and- “If you require any assistance, you can, of course, ask.”

Lavi stared at the camera for a moment, green eyes thoughtful, and then gave a bright, childish smile and nodded. He rubbed at his eyes, and then flopped back down and, within moments, went back to sleep, as if nothing of importance had occurred.

"Goodnight, Master Lavi," JARVIS told the silent room. And he settled back down to watch once more over the entire tower.

Watching over Sir and his family, he mused, was a challenging task indeed.

But not boring. Never boring.


	5. Baby Steps

“Missiya,” the Asset called, short and firm.

Missiya poked out from under the seat and frowned at the Asset. The Soldier identified it as an ‘explain now’ frown and elaborated,

“Come here. You need to be fed before we return.”

“Mm-nn!” Missiya complained discontentedly, but crawled over to the Winter Soldier in slow, clumsy movements. On reaching the Asset’s leg, he grabbed the knee and pulled himself to his feet, then held his arms up.

The Winter Soldier bent down and picked Missiya up, setting him on the leg so that the flesh arm could keep him from falling. With the metal arm, he reached for the bag of chopped banana and picked up a piece, giving it to Missiya. Missiya took it and ate it, still frowning.

Missiya was usually restless upon return to base. It was concerning, but the Soldier was not permitted to inquire, and Missiya’s communication abilities were insufficient for explaining.

The Soldier gave Missiya another piece of banana.

“Ah-da,” Missiya murmured, kicking his feet at nothing. He started to squish the banana, and the Asset gave him a stern look.

“You are meant to eat it,” he informed the infant, and Missiya frowned at him, but then he ate it. Good.

The Winter Soldier continued like this for the next few minutes, mentally reviewing the mission. It had gone as intended. Target dead, made out as an accident. Asset undetected. The Asset had been able to prevent blood from reaching Missiya and incurring either tears or a tantrum; though the Asset could not remember specific instances where either one had resulted, the experience which survived the wipes informed him that both could and would.

“Ka-la,” Missiya hummed to himself, banana smeared lightly across one cheek. He reached up and wiped it off with the back of his hand before the Asset could, and then reached up to the shoulder and pulled himself up, quite slowly, onto unsteady feet, pressing into the leg.

The he moved over and across, balancing precariously, reaching for the metal arm with one hand and clinging to the Asset’s shirt with the other.

The Asset frowned at him for a moment, but Missiya appeared to be ignoring him. After a moment, the Soldier exhaled and allowed it, and Missiya patted at the arm, starting at the shoulder and gradually working his way down.

The Asset reached over and ghosted the fingers over Missiya’s, frowning. “Take caution,” he murmured, as much to himself as Missiya. “You will pinch your fingers.”

“Pah,” Missiya replied, without looking over. His clumsy palms pressed against the plates of the arm, pushing lightly against the cold metal, and, despite the Asset’s warning, occasionally pushing in between them. The Soldier held the arm perfectly still, so that the plates would not shift.

Missiya reached the elbow, and then his foot slipped, and he yelped as he tumbled forward. Instinctively, the Winter Soldier’s flesh hand shot over to catch him around the chest, the metal arm remaining motionless.

With a soft grunt, the Soldier pulled Missiya back to sit on the leg again.

“Take caution,” the Asset repeated, this time in reprimand. The metal arm moved over, and Missiya reached out and caught the hand, and started exploring that instead. The Asset refrained from sighing, and allowed it.

When the Asset judged that they were drawing near, he removed the hand from Missiya’s grip, carefully cradled his head and neck with it, and pulled him in so that his head rested on the chest. Missiya squirmed and whined for a few moments, but the Soldier waited patiently, and he eventually settled down, cheek pressed against his shirt, breathing pattern falling into something matching the Soldier’s.

“The time is 23:48,” the Asset said, keeping his voice steady. “Mission was accomplished at 19:32, pickup at 20:00. All points successful, no backup required, no cleanup necessary. Weapons used-”

By the time they landed, Missiya was asleep. Mission accomplished.

The Asset raised his head, stood up, and stepped off the jet, Missiya held carefully in his human arm.

* * *

“Faster, please,” Mei hummed patiently, a few steps behind him.

Kanda glanced back, frowning. Mei was the only obrabotchiki he consistently understood; it was helpful in figuring out what the others were saying, actually, but sometimes he’d almost prefer that he couldn’t. Half the time, it wasn’t anything he wanted to hear, and the other half, it just made him wish harder that she would _explain._

Mei’s eyes were on him, expectant, and he huffed slightly and turned back to study the stretch in front of him.

He was suspicious of everything he could see, he decided.

A warning spark jolted up from his wrist, and he pulled his hand back sharply with a bitten-back hiss, and then blindly moved forward in a few unsteady, wobbling steps, reaching for the next hold.

He could walk, now, and that was a bit of a relief, but he usually needed something to hold onto if he wanted to stay upright for more than a few seconds, and that was a pain. The obrabotchiki had apparently decided that it was prime time to teach him how to evaluate handholds quickly. Hence the current activity.

His hand landed on the exposed edge of a stacked box, and it gave way under his weight, making him yelp and tumble forward, onto the ground.

A short, sharp shock greeted him, and he stifled his whine against the ground and pushed himself up. He could hear Mei’s footsteps approaching behind him, and he scowled at the ground and ignored her.

“Don’t be stubborn,” Mei chided, crouching beside him. Firmly, she grasped his neck around the back and pulled him up, directing his head to look at the stack of boxes while he clenched his jaw. “This was unsteady. You need to do better. The boxes were stacked wrong.” She turned him around, so he faced the rest of his options. “Point at the steady hold.” She picked up his hand and held it in front of him, and then repeated, “Steady.”

Kanda took in a deep, shuddering breath, holding back tears of frustration and squashing the burning anger in his chest, and then opened his eyes and took a few moments to consider. Mei’s hand tightened around his wrist, and he clamped down a whimper, pulled away, and pointed at a metal bar on a stand that may or may not fall down if he tried to hold onto it.

There was a long pause. He didn’t move.

“Good,” Mei said at last, and then let go, stood up, and stepped away. “Go.”

Kanda clenched his jaw, and then pushed himself up unsteadily, stumbled forward, and grasped the bar. It held.

He glanced over the next part of the course, decided on the rickety table, and moved on.

This would be so much fucking easier if he could just _walk._ At least the bear would stop him if he was about to lean on something unstable. Or catch him if he fell.

He caught the leading edge of a whine, kept his expression still, and grabbed onto the table. It slid, but he didn’t fall. He glanced back at Mei, still watching, and pushed off again.

Much later, when they’d run through an entire damn training course of motor skills, Mei sat him down.

Kanda placed his palms against the floor and tilted his head back to look at her, and she sat down in front of him, legs crossed neatly, and looked him in the eyes while he tried not to squirm or look away.

“Ah,” she said clearly, with that same expectant, businesslike look.

“Ah,” he returned reluctantly, voice quiet. He hated talking here. Even when he had permission-

Fuck, why did he need permission? He hated it here, so fucking much.

“Ba,” she said next, and he repeated that, too, without his voice ever growing any louder or more confident. He was too tense. “Da. Fa. Ga. Ha-”

She went on through a number of sounds Kanda didn’t bother to track, eerily systematic in their arrangement. It was an embarrassing exercise in and of itself, both in its simplicity and in his own mindless obedience, and it was made outright _frustrating_ by the fact that he was, in fact, struggling with a lot of the sounds.

He let the frustration grow in the center of his chest, and kept going.

He’d make it out someday. Not now, when he couldn’t even walk without toppling, but someday. He _swore_ it.

“Eh,” he repeated, fingers pressing and kneading subtly against the hard ground. “Eb. Ed-”

 _At least,_ he thought, _they don’t want me to be a voiceless machine._

That was something.

Finally, when his voice was hoarse and fatigue was pulling at his arms and head, Mei stood up.

“Stay,” she told him, and turned around to go just out of sight.

He lifted his head and followed her with his eyes, keeping his gaze on the corner she’d disappeared around until she returned, a few seconds later. In her arms was an assortment of a few things he just recognized – not from any time before, some of them, but from here.

There was a gun – unloaded, unfortunately – as well as a _granata/shǒuliúdàn/qunbulat yadawia,_ which apparently exploded if you pulled out the pin. And then there was a knife – which was sharp enough to cut Kanda when he touched the edge – and what looked like a heavy metal object with holes that might fit the bear’s fingers but were far too large for his, even before.

She laid these things in front of him, and then sat down again, pulled out a little screen, and started tapping, only glancing up at him occasionally. A report, he’d guess – he’d gotten glimpses of the screen before, but not often.

Kanda sighed to himself, running his eyes over the assortment of ‘toys’, and then reached forward and took the knife.

In some ways, he wanted to know what they’d do if he hurt himself with it, but far more importantly, he didn’t want them to know about his curse. That would be… bad, probably, from what he knew of these people. No, he was much better off just being careful.

He ran his fingers over the cold metal, and the rough grip, cautious in his examination. This one was new, serrated, and he pricked himself when one trailing finger came too close to the teeth. Mei didn’t notice.

He put the knife aside and took the granata, and tossed it between his hands, feeling the weight of it.

He wished that he understood more about these people. He didn’t know what they wanted, even after all this time, and that made him nervous. He just knew how far they were prepared to go to get it.

Kanda refrained from glancing around the room again.

It was good, at least, that he was sent out so often. Times were different – that much was clear. He was in the future, some decades ahead, he’d guess, and he’d have hated nothing more than to have found himself clueless about the world again.

But the bear spent a lot of time pointing things out and explaining them, or watching Kanda and looking after him. He was hesitant, he was almost robotic at times, but he was helpful.

In a lot of ways, including a lot that Kanda didn’t really understand.

Kanda put the granata down and pulled the pin, and then he tossed it out of sight.

 _“Boo,”_ he almost said, but he bit it back and glanced over at Mei, who was almost smiling.

Hm. Better not do that again, then. He’d hate to make these people happy on his own time.

He picked up the gun, and after a moment of consideration, pointed it at Mei.

“Boo,” he said.

“Atlantida.”

When he caught his breath again, he decided he wasn’t really surprised.

* * *

Out of all the obrabotchiki, Tariq spoke the most. Not when he was instructing Kanda, maybe, but when Kanda was left to his own devices or when they were simply in transition – he spoke then, often.

Out of the languages the people here spoke, Kanda understood Chinese the best, and then Russian, and then, he suspected, Tariq’s language.

Now, while Kanda was eating – tasteless food with a gritty texture he despised – Tariq was speaking again. His voice, unusually, was soft and frustrated.

“'Inna qalaq,” he said to Kanda, or maybe to the air, arms crossed and brow furrowed slightly as he watched. “Hadha lays sahiha. 'Ana la 'uhibb dhalik.”

Kanda paused to untangle the words without looking at Tariq. ‘I am’ with a word Kanda didn’t know, and then ‘this is not right’, and ‘I do not like it’. Kanda couldn’t decide between a scowl and a smirk, and then remembered it didn’t matter because neither was a good idea.

“Eat,” Tariq said, and then, once Kanda obeyed, “lkn al'umur la tajri tatahassan. Eayilati la tazal ghyr amanat.”

Kanda stilled again, picking out a few words he recognized – ‘not improving’, ‘not safe’, and then, after a moment of thought, ‘family’.

Tariq didn’t notice this time. “F'inny la 'afeal jayidaan bma fyh alkifayata, ealaa ma 'aetaqid. 'Ana lm yaksibuu 'amanahum.” A long, soft exhale. “'Inna asf.”

More of the same. Kanda sat up better and placed his spoon down, turning his eyes on Tariq. Tariq blinked, and then grimaced, shook himself, and sighed.

“Sa'aqwm nnafeal ma hu 'afdal.”

I will do better.

Kanda had wondered what some of these people were doing here. He supposed it shouldn’t be a surprise that some of them were being blackmailed.

Some time later, the single door opened and admitted a scientist, and Kanda tilted his head up to look at them, following their course across the room toward the two of them. Tariq released Kanda’s arm and stood up, expression as indifferent as if he had not spilled his worries to Kanda earlier that very same day.

“Day mne ubitsyu,” the scientist ordered, holding out his hands as if to be handed the toddler.

Tariq nodded, and nudged Kanda up until he was standing, facing the scientist.

“Idti,” he said to Kanda, and Kanda looked at him for a long moment, and then turned toward the scientist and, in a few wobbly steps, reached them, looked up, and waited.

The scientist stared back down, with an expression far less well-guarded than Tariq’s. He looked almost afraid, for a moment, and then leaned down and picked Kanda up, and Kanda squirmed until his could get a good grip and look over, out the door.

The two of them left Tariq behind, and Kanda knew, of course, exactly where he was going already.

The cryo unit loomed into view, and the bear looked up as they approached, his eyes immediately going to Kanda and his shoulders relaxing slightly, hand falling from its exercises.

“Etot mladenets teper’ vasha glavnaya missiya. Berite yego s, za ney ukhazhivat’, i nikogda opusti yego. Obuchat’ eto stat’ velichayshim assasin v mire,” the scientist said, as he always did.

“Ponyal,” the bear replied, and reached. Kanda was passed from the scientist’s grasp to the bear’s, and he moved to press his ear to the bear’s shoulder, exhaling softly.

For a few days, once again, he would be away from here.

No matter how pathetic he felt for it, he was always glad to leave for a while.

Despite that, though, as the bear was passed the folder and given his instructions, and then stood and started to carry Kanda away – he looked over his shoulder and wondered.

He wondered how things would end for Tariq. Blackmail didn’t last forever.

Eventually – one way or another – things got resolved.

* * *

On the jet, once again, the bear set Kanda on his lap, opened the folder, and, with one arm keeping Kanda securely in place, he started to read.

The bear sounded almost the same reading a mission briefing as he did saying anything else – monotone, rhythmic, careful and measured. His chest rumbled slightly under Kanda’s ear, and he was perfectly still.

Kanda wondered, as he always did, if the bear ever wanted to escape. To run away, and never come back. To be free.

And then, instead of entertaining stupid thoughts, he listened; he usually did, but the language was complicated and he didn’t have as many references as he’d like, and he only made out a few bits and pieces of information. Consistently, he only got two. In this case-

Destination: New York City.

Target: Nicholas Fury.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTICE: Major changes have been made during this round of revisions. Inconsistencies may appear in the future; most notably, several characters will not appear until these changes are made. This notice will be removed when all revisions are complete.


	6. The Winter Soldier: Part 1

Lavi was stacking blocks.

He was, what, twenty-four years old? And stacking blocks. With his mother beside him, helping him. It was undignified.

But hey, Lavi had never been real big on dignity anyway, and it was fun to carefully build stacks out of the blocks and then knock them down. Nice not to get scolded for making a mess, too.

He knocked down the tower again and laughed, a childish, innocent sound the likes of which he hadn't made in  _years._  Pepper laughed, too, but he was pretty sure it was more at him than with him.

Tony was on the couch, messing with his table, which was pretty much normal. His feet were up on the table, and he was completely relaxed. Lavi loved it, every bit of it.

He missed his friends, though. It would be nice to see them again.

He squashed the thought from his mind and slammed the blocks together, maybe a little more messily than strictly necessary. But hey, he was a baby. He got to do that sort of thing.

"Sir."

Tony glanced up from his tablet, raising an eyebrow at JARVIS' urgent tone. "JARVIS?" he returned curiously.

"There appear to be some problems arising at SHIELD."

Problems came up at SHIELD all the time, and JARVIS only rarely saw fit to alert him. He furrowed his eyebrows and asked cautiously, "What kind of problems?"

JARVIS hesitated. "...It may be best for you to bring your family to a safe place, sir. It is difficult to determine at the present moment, but there appear to be issues with the higher management."

 _"What kind of problems, JARVIS?"_  Tony nearly hissed, eyes widening slightly. Pepper had looked up, eyes wide, freezing in her play with Lavi, and Lavi was only pretending to be oblivious, paying careful attention.

"HYDRA, sir." JARVIS' voice had dropped all inflection, the way it only did when he was truly stressed.

Tony uttered a quiet curse, and then a louder one, and then looked at Pepper, who nodded at him, slightly pale, and picked Lavi up without another word.

Lavi went without protest, arms going around to hug Pepper's neck and head falling to her shoulder, eyes a little wide.

"Got a recommended safe room, J?" Tony asked, gesturing for Pepper to head for the elevator and following after her. Tony had a few safe rooms, each best suited for different situations.

"I would recommend the hidden one, on the lowest residential level."

"That's not equipped for Lavi," Tony pointed out tersely, but, trusting JARVIS' judgement, did not otherwise protest.

JARVIS hesitated again, and Tony's tension skyrocketed. "I would not worry about that, sir."

Tony frowned up at the ceiling as the elevator began to move. "...Do you know something I don't, JARVIS?"

"...I do, sir."

"Okay." Tony took a deep breath, and visibly refrained from asking. "Fine."

"We still need to pick up some food," Pepper said firmly, not giving an inch for whatever JARVIS knew. "And the diaper bag."

"Yes, Mrs. Potts," JARVIS agreed readily, because he was a very smart AI, and stopped the elevator a few floors above the final stop. Pepper gave Lavi to Tony and then took off, quickly going to fetch what they would need if they were going to stay in the safe room for a day.

She returned shortly, baby supplies in hand, and found Tony bouncing Lavi gently, talking about anything except what they were running from.

"-silly, really, I don't know why Pepper always insists that I go, not like anything gets done. Being in my workshop's a much better use of my time, isn't it, Lavi? Yeah, you bet it is-"

"Yes, it is," Pepper said fondly, interrupting him and making him look up at her with a (slightly relieved) grin. "But the board meetings are important too, Tony."

Lavi laughed, and Tony made a face, adjusting Lavi so he sat better in his arms.

"Yeah, yeah," Tony grumbled. The elevator started moving again without prompting. "Can you take care of Lavi when we get there, Pepper? I need to make some calls."

Pepper's face turned serious again and she nodded. "Of course, Tony." A small smile appeared on her face with a little effort. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

Tony smiled back briefly. "That will be all, Ms. Potts."

The elevator stopped for the second time, and they both got off. Tony quickly moved through the rooms and halls until they came to a small library, and pulled a few books off the shelf to reveal a keypad. He punched in a code and then stepped aside, letting the bookshelf swing open like something out of a bad mystery novel.

Pepper seemed to think so, too, because she gave Tony one of her amused looks, and he grinned and, with his free arm, made a sweeping motion. "After you, Mrs. Potts."

Pepper shook her head at him, and then stepped inside. Tony followed, Lavi in hand, and the door-shelf swung shut behind them.

Inside was a room that was surprisingly well-furnished for a safe room. It had a couch and a bed, with a small shelf of books, mostly Pepper's favorites, and a coffee table. There was also a small kitchenette, well-stocked, in case they needed to stay for a while, a closet, and a television.

Lavi remained quiet, watching all of this with interested green eyes. It had been nerve-wracking, earlier, when JARVIS had alluded, if only vaguely, to his not-really-a-normal-baby nature, but it didn't look like Tony was going to ask, at least not today.

Fair enough; there seemed to be a crisis at hand. Lavi wished he was old enough to make something useful of himself, but apparently that was a luxury reserved for people who were not toddlers.

The thing Lavi found most interesting about the room was the easily recognizable Iron Man armor set into the wall, looking ready to be taken out and used at any moment. And it probably was.

Of course. Tony was Iron Man.

That explained quite a lot, though Lavi had never seen him at it, nor heard him and Pepper talk about it. But of course, Iron Man hadn't been very active recently, had he?

He had a family now.

Now that they were in, Tony handed Lavi back to Pepper, and then pulled his phone out and walked a short distance away, already starting to make calls, probably to monitor the situation, Lavi thought, though JARVIS was probably doing the same.

Meanwhile, Pepper sat down on the couch, Lavi on her lap, and started to play peek-a-boo, while Lavi amused himself by reacting in the most baby-like manner possible. One of them had to try; Pepper's heart clearly wasn't in it.

"-do you mean, you're after Captain America? No, I don't…" Tony scrubbed a hand over his face, looking increasingly frustrated. "Look, you haven't met Steve, and while we may not get along on a personal level, I know he would  _never_  do anything to earn a SHIELD hit. Look, you should investigate a little further, then get back to me-"

Pepper had looked up, eyes wide and worried. Lavi frowned, and then tugged on her hair lightly, pulling her attention back to him forcibly, making her meet his eyes, which suddenly looked much more serious than any baby's naturally were.

A moment later, as if to make up for it, he offered a wide, cheerful grin and made a cute, high-pitched 'ah!' sound. She chuckled ruefully and went back to playing.

Half an hour later, JARVIS said, sudden, sharp, and serious,

"Sir, there are invaders in the tower."

"Got it, J." Tony blew Pepper a kiss, donned the armor, and left, with her concerned look trailing behind.

They didn't make it halfway up the tower.

Lavi hated being a baby, and he hated how much he wanted to fight.


	7. The Winter Soldier: Part 2

For some reason, that name wouldn't stop echoing in his head as he returned to the checkpoint. That man's face.

_Bucky?_

_Who the hell is Bucky?_

But that man. He knew him. He  _knew_  him, like he hardly knew anybody.

The child was looking at him, blue eyes intent, but he couldn't quite spare the attention right now, brooding on the man, that  _man._

Who was he? He felt like he knew him better than the child clinging to him right now, than his primary mission. Like he…

And the memory slipped away, and he nearly growled in frustration.

It was all just flashes - that man with a much thinner face, with an army uniform, dancing on a stage, all just bits and pieces, not making any sense. Long winter nights. Battles he didn't remember.

On his lap, the child was playing quietly by himself, with a shiny bit of glass he must have picked up while he wasn't paying attention. Absently, he took it away and replaced it with a bit of string from who-knew-where, and started talking, quietly, half to himself and half to the child. The child stopped playing and looked up at him, always with that same impassive gaze.

"I knew that man," he murmured quietly, too quiet for the pilot or mission handler to hear. "I'm certain of it." He didn't even realize he was speaking in English for a few moments longer. "That name… it sounds familiar. I can't think where I've heard it from, but it may be the key to discovering how I know that man." For a few seconds, he brooded, and then continued, "If ever I get a chance, I'll find out."

The child blinked at him, slowly, and then looked down at the string, and started to play with it again, still quiet. He sighed and leaned back slightly, gazing at the ceiling.

He  _knew_  him.

And he knew Bucky, too. He just couldn't  _remember._

* * *

Tony was pacing.

Tony had  _earned_  his right to pace, monitoring this fucked-up situation, but now there was nothing to do but wait and count on Cap. Silently, he cursed himself for not looking further into Project Insight, for just making those helicarriers, thinking them through and making them the best he could, blindly trusting Fury-

But that wasn't quite fair. It wasn't Fury's idea, after all. At least, not like this.

He was worried. He was on the list,  _obviously_  he was on the list, but that wasn't what really worried him - because Pepper and Lavi were probably on it, too.

Lavi had gotten bored of sitting around, and was now waddling around on unsteady feet, getting into everything, but never  _quite_  making trouble, though he was making Tony a little nervous, especially when he investigated the exposed socket.

Briefly, Tony spared a moment to worry about whatever JARVIS knew that he didn't, but he trusted JARVIS, and if he hadn't told Tony about it, there was probably a good reason.

Then he went back to worrying about Project Insight.

Pepper was alternating watching him and watching Lavi, worry in her eyes, an open book in her lap that she wasn't reading.

Then the television screen flickered on, showing a montage of helicarrier after helicarrier falling from the sky, and JARVIS announced,

"Captain Rogers has succeeded, sir."

Tony nearly collapsed with relief, and he couldn't help but laugh, and Pepper laughed, too, relieved. He felt a tug on his pant leg to see Lavi standing there by his foot, grinning up at him, and Tony swept him up and spun him in a circle, grinning back.

"Good on Cap!" Tony said, pleased.

His family was safe.

Well. For now. There was still the minor problem of HYDRA running SHIELD, but just now, Tony couldn't bring himself to worry about that, as Pepper's arms slid around him and her lips pressed to his cheek, and Lavi laughed, green eyes sparkling.

* * *

Kanda was waiting, quietly, by the side of the river where the bear - Bucky, if he believed the man the bear seemed convinced he knew - had left him, trusting him not to walk off. (Which he wouldn't. At this age, that would be stupid.)

He had a feeling things were going to change after this. Even after being wiped again, the bear had been acting strange, and always, there was the feeling. Just a feeling in the air, the one you felt when change was coming - like the one before Alma had gone mad, like when Walker had come to the Order, or just before the CROW came.

Finally, the bear returned, in a fairly unexpected way - dragging the man who was theoretically the target out of the water, gaze impassive but somehow disturbed, almost as if he himself could barely understand why he was doing this.

He returned to Kanda and looked down, and Kanda looked up, judged the situation, and decided it was pretty much fine before lifting his arms expectantly.

The bear bent down and lifted him up, and he curled up comfortably in the man's large arms. (It had been easier than expected to get used to this, but it was still a little strange.)

And then the bear started to walk off. Once they were out of the unconscious blond man's range, he started to talk, too.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly to Kanda, who tilted his head up to look at him, dark blue eyes serious. "For doing this. I remember nothing about you, only that I cannot leave you behind, under any circumstances."

Kanda had a feeling as to where this was going.

"Where we go," the bear continued, "there will be nothing you know. Everything will be different. I also apologize because it will not be stable, and because I do not know how to take care of a child." He frowned, looking mildly frustrated. "I don't even know your name."

Kanda tilted his head slightly, and for a long time, he considered. And then, voice quiet, high-pitched, and childish, he spoke his first word in this form.

"Yuu."

The bear didn't start, he never did, but he looked down at Kanda again, eyes gleaming with as much surprise as he would allow himself. "Your name is Yuu?" he repeated. "The Japanese name?"

Kanda, faintly surprised that the unfortunate bear hadn't first assumed that Kanda hadn't wanted  _him_  to name him, nodded. (On further contemplation, it reminded him far too much of the stupid beansprout's behavior.)

But to Kanda, it only made sense. The name 'Yuu' had followed him from his first life into his second. Now it would follow him into his third as well.

He used to hate the name. But still… it felt right.

"Understood, Yuu," the bear said finally, looking ahead again. "I won't forget."

It was a promise.


	8. Enter Lenalee

"Sir, Mr. Rogers and Ms. Romanoff have asked to see you."

Tony started, looking up from feeding Lavi, who also looked up at the ceiling curiously. "Really? Already?"

"Yes, sir," JARVIS confirmed. "They insist it's most urgent."

"Well, of course it is," Tony muttered, looking back down to his task. "Go ahead and bring them up."

"Sir?"

Tony chuckled a little. "I trust them, J. I think they can see me with my son, and if they have a problem with me feeding him while we talk, they can deal with it or wait."

"Yes, sir," JARVIS said, amused.

A few minutes later, the elevator doors opened, and two people emerged. Lavi looked up with interest; Tony was very protective of him, so he hadn't seen very many people yet. Only Tony's friends and the people on the board, who he had absolutely no interest in.

One of them was a tall, well-built blond man with blue eyes, looking deadly serious. The other, slightly less serious and very confident, was a redheaded woman, striding just beside the other man.

"It's about time you gave Pepper a baby, Stark," is the first thing the redhead said upon seeing Lavi, while the man opened and closed his mouth. Lavi giggled at his expression, smiling brightly.

"I don't think the world is ready for more Starks," the man said finally, watching with some disbelief as Tony struggled to regain Lavi's attention, and Lavi pretended to be oblivious. (Babies had all the fun, what was he thinking before?)

"Screw you, Steve," Tony replied, mindful of his cursing in front of the baby. (Pepper had scolded him enough times for it.) "My baby is awesome."

"That's why you can't feed it," the woman deadpanned, sitting on Lavi's other side and stealing the spoon from Tony. She started to take over feeding Lavi, and Lavi, interested in this development, took it without complaint.

"Why is Natasha feeding my baby?" Tony asked the air, looking plaintive. "When did the deadly assassin lady become better with children than me?"

"Maybe I'm just more interesting than you are, Stark," Natasha replied, still feeding Lavi. Lavi, meanwhile, was now even more interested; a deadly assassin, huh? He wondered if she was anything like Lenalee.

"Traitor," Tony pouted at Lavi, who paused in eating to laugh.

Steve finally seemed to recover properly and sat down as well. At the seriousness on his face, the playfulness faded from Tony's, and Natasha diverted most of her attention.

"How much do you know about what just happened, Stark?" Steve asked finally.

"Almost everything," Tony replied instantly.

"Good, that makes things easier," Steve sighed, looking a little relieved. "You know about HYDRA and SHIELD?"

Tony nodded, mouth set in a firm, grim line.

"Steve and I were talking," Natasha said suddenly, drawing both of their attention. Her eyes were fixed on Lavi, but it was clear her attention was on the other adults. "And we think we ought to call in the Avengers."

Tony thought about that for a long moment, and then he nodded in agreement. "We need to start handling this. Soon."

Lavi looked between them with wide green eyes, as childlike and oblivious as he could manage, but inside, the gears were whirring.

Okay. All three of them were members of the Avengers, he concluded. If he had to guess - Iron Man, the Black Widow, and Captain America. That left Thor, Hawkeye, and the Hulk.

"Taking down HYDRA bases, just like old times," Steve said with a bitter smile. "And SHIELD had Loki's staff, remember, which means HYDRA has it now. We need to find that."

Loki's staff? Who was Loki? What was the significance of the staff?

Forget fun. Lavi hated being a baby. And he hadn't managed to talk properly yet - it was a lot harder than he remembered.

"Got it," Tony said seriously.

"What about your baby?" Steve prompted, giving Lavi a slightly concerned look. Lavi stared back until Steve looked away.

Tony gave Lavi a long, unreadable look - damn, he hadn't forgotten - thought about it for a minute, and then said, "He can stay here at the tower, with Pepper. It's a lot better protected than it looks. JARVIS'll look after them."

"Of course, sir," JARVIS said instantly, without prompting, making Steve jump. Lavi laughed.

* * *

"JARVIS."

Lavi, Tony noted, was determinedly gnawing on his foot, apparently trying to stick the whole thing in his mouth. He was also very carefully not looking at Tony.

"Yes, sir?" JARVIS sounded a little guilty. Tony's frown deepened slightly.

"What do you know about Lavi?" He was blunt and straight to the point; when it came to his son, Tony had sworn to himself to take everything as seriously as he could.

There was an ominous pause, like JARVIS was bracing himself. A shiver went down Tony's spine.

"I cannot say, sir." JARVIS' voice was perfectly polite. Tony didn't miss Lavi pausing, with a glance up at Tony, and then at the ceiling, and then pretending nothing had happened.

"Why not?"  _JARVIS never did anything without a reason,_  Tony reminded himself tersely, trying not to snap at him.

"It would be a betrayal of Master Lavi's confidence." On this, JARVIS sounded completely certain, and only a little sorry. Tony could read between the lines, though, and he tilted his head slightly, looking at Lavi, who wasn't looking at him anymore.

"A betrayal of confidence," he repeated, slow and thoughtful. Lavi wasn't even a year old. "So I'll have to ask him."

"Yes, sir."

"Awesome." Tony sighed and leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head with a casualness he didn't feel. "Well, Lavi, it looks like you and I will be having a little talk." Then, under his breath, "Eventually. When you  _can_  talk."

Lavi looked up at him, smiled, and said, "Ah!"

"...Yeah." The wait was going to kill him.

* * *

Tony left shortly after that, and the next time Lavi saw him, there were two more people with him: a man with a bow and quiver on his back - Hawkeye - and a short, somewhat nervous man with dark hair.

Tony introduced them to Lavi as Clint and Bruce. Clint instantly picked him up and started playing with him, so apparently he liked kids. Bruce, on the other hand, looked almost afraid of him.

The Avengers passed in and out of the tower, staying there but going out on missions often. Then one day, they came back with another tall, blond man: Thor.

Thor, who was very loud and very happy and who seemed most pleased with Lavi for no readily apparent reason except that he signified Tony and Pepper's relationship. He also seemed inexplicably happy at Steve and Natasha's growing relationship. Lavi suspected that he was a romantic.

Lavi liked the Avengers, he decided.

Also, it was fun to follow Bruce around and watch him panic every time he noticed him.

* * *

Bucky was holding Kanda's hand, and they were walking down the street in a town in Canada, with very few people. Bucky was walking slowly, because Kanda himself wasn't very fast but he needed the practice anyway, and also because Bucky was nearly stumbling with, well, pure confusion.

And Kanda was holding a lot more tightly than he needed to, squeezing Bucky's hand, because maybe no one else could hear Bucky right now, but he could. And it upset him more than he wanted to admit.

"The Asset has failed the mission, the Asset must report back and be disciplined, freeze him, wipe him, retrain, reprogram,  _reverse the damage!"_

"Da," Kanda said, because he wasn't allowed to call Bucky 'the bear' in public. His breathing hitched, and he tried to control it. He wasn't  _actually_  a toddler, he reminded himself. And he was angry, dammit! Not scared, not sad,  _angry!_

Bucky didn't notice. "The Asset must return to base, must submit himself for discipline, the mission has failed, the mission can still be completed, but I know him,  _I know him-"_

"Da!" Kanda repeated, louder. Tears were starting to well up in his eyes, and he pulled hard on Bucky's hand, trying to get his attention, furious with Bucky and more so with himself, because _why the fuck was he crying,_  he was  _angry, goddammit,_  he was angry because the bear was  _stupid!_  "Wa' up!"

He knew what it was like, he remembered. It was hard. But Bucky had to do it,  _he had to._  He couldn't fall back under HYDRA's control.

Either of them.

"Need to…" Bucky was stumbling visibly, over his words and his own two feet, like he was physically trying to keep himself from turning back. "I disobeyed, I cannot disobey, I must… Yuu, I have to…"

"Stupi' bear!" Kanda gave up, and hitching sobs escaped his chest, loud and wet and starting to attract attention. "Stop! Wa' up!  _No go back!"_

Bucky finally noticed and came back to himself enough to look down, and Kanda was crying and he couldn't seem to stop, and it was stupid and he didn't care, he was so  _angry_  and so fucking _scared._  Bucky had to wake up. The stupid bear had to wake up.

He was lifted into the stupid bear's arms, and cradled close, and he kept crying because the bear was stupid and he was scared and he didn't want to go back, not for anything, and Bucky couldn't go back either.

"We're… we're not going back, Yuu," Bucky said finally, halting and a little unsure. "I have… passports. We're going to Asia, but not back." Another moment of hesitation, and then, "I promise."

Kanda's sobbing slowed, and he cursed himself for acting so childish even as he continued to sniffle unhappily, and Bucky kept walking, Kanda now curled up in his hold.

But… Bucky hadn't even scolded him. Just picked him up and reassured him.

He buried his face in the man's jacket and sniffled, face wet.

* * *

One pill. One stupid time Melinda's pill didn't work, and this. It was  _just_  her luck.

"It's almost out. Push one last time."

Face twisted in pain, she obeyed, pushing as hard as she could to  _get the damn thing out,_  grunting out a muffled scream. She felt the baby exit altogether, quickly picked up by the doctor, and relaxed, panting.

"It's a girl, Ms. May."

She wanted to see her baby, so she opened her eyes despite her exhaustion, and looked.

The baby was a little baby girl, with a little bit of black hair and baby blue eyes, looking back at her with a strangely intelligent gaze, slowly filling with tears, but not crying aloud, as most newborns did.

"Give her to me," she said, very nearly a command, and the doctor quickly obeyed.

Melinda cradled the little baby in her arms, looking down at it almost as curiously as the baby looked up at her, teary eyes half-focused and unhappy.

Melinda had always wanted a baby, a family - but it was too dangerous. Too risky, and she wasn't ready - she'd figured that out after Bahrain.

But then, once she'd had one, right there within her grasp, she couldn't bring herself to let it go. The dangers would be dealt with as they came.

She was ready now.

"Do you have a name for her?" Coulson asked suddenly, and she really must have been out of it if she hadn't noticed him come in.

Melinda barely had to think about it. "Lenalee," she replied, allowing herself a very small smile.

Beside her, Coulson smiled, too. "Lenalee May," he echoed quietly. A few moments passed in silence, and then he asked, "Are you planning to tell Ward?"

Once again, Melinda barely had to think about it. "No," she said dismissively. "But even if he ever finds out, he'll have no part of her life." Not if Melinda had anything to say about it. Lenalee was Ward's baby in blood only.

"Of course," Coulson agreed, smiling slightly. "She's beautiful, Agent May."

"Yes," Melinda agreed. "She is."


	9. Meet the Rest

God really had it out for her, didn't He?

Lenalee sniffled, curled up in her apparent new mother's arms. Her brother was gone. Her friends were gone. She'd been taken from them, because death wasn't, apparently, the end for her.

And while once, she would have broken down about this, screamed and cried and tried to run from it, she wasn't that little girl anymore.

Now, she was just angry about it. Furious. Who did He think he was? Hadn't she done  _enough?_  Was she  _not good enough?_

Well, she wasn't going to break down this time. She was stronger than that now.

Lenalee had heard that the best revenge was living well… and more importantly, her friends wouldn't want her to do anything rash. Allen and Lavi and Kanda and Komui.

From the feel of her legs, she'd be able to walk again someday. That was one boon. She'd work her way up from there.

Satisfied with her new resolution, she tuned in to her surroundings. And slowly, she realized - Melinda was talking to her, soft and quiet and with only the barest traces of surface emotions.

"You are  _my_  daughter, and nothing is going to change that, Lenalee. I'm going to teach you, and raise you. Someday, you'll be able to choose what you do with your life, but for now, I'm going to protect you, and I'll do whatever it takes.

"I work for an organization called SHIELD. Some things have happened recently, and circumstances have become difficult, but our purpose is still the same: we protect the world from the threats it can't handle.

"I work as an agent of SHIELD, so I may not always be around, but I will  _always_  be protecting you. And I know you may not understand now, but I will  _make sure_  you grow up knowing that."

Lenalee gazed up at her, brown eyes into brown, and thought,  _I will._

She liked Melinda, she realized. And maybe this would be okay.

* * *

Melinda took her out as soon as the doctor cleared her. She had a very interesting way of introducing people to Lenalee.

"This is Director Coulson," Melinda told Lenalee, making sure to stand in such a way that she could see Coulson, which she very much appreciated.

"Hi," Director Coulson told her.

"He is allowed to hold you," continued Melinda.

"I'm honored."

Lenalee giggled.

"Coulson, if you drop her, they'll never find your body." Melinda's eyes flashed, deadly serious. Coulson still chuckled.

"Understood."

Melinda handed Lenalee over, and Coulson cradled her carefully, then offered a small smile down to her.

"Hello, Lenalee. Welcome to SHIELD."

Lenalee tried to decide whether she was delighted or dismayed. It seemed she was going to be inducted into SHIELD whether she liked it or not.

But maybe… maybe she  _would_  like it.

The next person was a young woman named Skye, maybe a few years older than Lenalee had been when she'd died.

"Oh, is that your baby? Lenalee, right?" Skye asked as soon as she saw them, before Melinda could speak.

Melinda nodded. "Lenalee, this is Skye," she told Lenalee. "She's a field agent and a hacker. If you're both good, she can play with you."

"Gee, thanks," Skye chuckled. She put the tablet in her hands down and walked over, then crouched slightly to get a better look at Lenalee. "Hey, Lenalee. Looks like you're one of us now. Take care of May for me, won't you?" She winked at Lenalee and straightened back up. "She's cute, May." She chuckled. "I promise I'll be good."

And then others, less well received.

"This is Hunter. He is not allowed to hold you. If he picks you up, cry."

"You have a very mean mother, Lenalee," Hunter told Lenalee, and she giggled. "What do you think I'm going to do to her, anyway?"

"You  _shot_  me," Melinda shot back, but Lenalee caught the gleam of mischief in her eyes. Hunter sighed in resignation.

"Apology number three hundred and ninety-six. I am  _very sorry,_  Agent May."

"You should be," Melinda replied, and then she took Lenalee away.

And so on and so forth.

Coulson and maybe Skye were the only ones allowed to hold her, Lenalee learned. And Mack or Triplett if there was no other choice, because Melinda claimed they were 'somewhat responsible'.

Fitz was interesting. If Lenalee had to guess, he was recovering from a head wound, a nasty one - she'd had a few colleagues go that way, and she recognized the symptoms. Had a few bad scares herself, too, so she could sympathize.

All of them were busy, but they also made time to meet her, take a moment to talk to her and Melinda - it sort of reminded her of the Order. During the good times.

It was nice.

* * *

Two years old. It seemed to take a lot longer than Lavi remembered.

"What color, Lavi?" Pepper asked, holding up a yellow block with a smile.

"Yellow!" Lavi replied with a roll of his eyes. Pepper chuckled ruefully and handed it to him.

"Yes, okay, I get it," she laughed. "You're past colors. You  _are_  your father's son."

Lavi grinned at her and carefully tried to stack them in an even, three by three by however-high-he-could-make-it tower. It was not going well.

It was too early to train properly, Lavi figured. But hand-eye coordination, fine motor control, stuff like that, he could do that. And it was hard. Ridiculously so. It was  _unfair._

"Why don't you try sorting them instead?" Pepper suggested, taking pity on him and the tower he couldn't seem to build.

Lavi huffed. "Okay, Mommy," he mumbled. He knocked his tower over and set about sorting them into piles by color.

Well, actually, he was sorting them into messy towers by color. Pepper laughed again, shaking her head.

"I think you know full well that's not what I meant," she said, but she helped out by straightening them as he built so that he could build higher.

It was about then that Lavi remembered that he'd wanted to do something, besides practice. Stupid short attention span.

"Mommy, what Daddy doin'?" he asked, carefully not looking up from his building. He felt a little bad for manipulating her like this, but he figured it was the best way to go about it. Stupid little-kid guilt, too.

"He's out with his friends," Pepper told him, keeping it simple. Very simple. "He's looking for something."

"What he lookin' fo?" Lavi asked. That was a blue block, not a green one. He shot Pepper a playful glare and moved it, making her smile.

"Clever boy," she murmured fondly, with a strange tilt of her head. "Can't get anything past you, can I?"

Lavi sat up and looked at her, tilting his head slightly. "What he lookin' fo?" he repeated, disregarding her attempted subject change.

She gave him a startled look. Oops. Too focused. That would have headed off any normal toddler. He wondered, nervously, how much longer before he was found out. How much longer before Tony or Pepper  _asked._

Because he didn't think he'd be able to bring himself to play dumb. Some Bookman he was.

"Something people want to use to hurt other people," Pepper said finally, offering a weak smile. "Don't worry, Lavi. Daddy won't let anyone hurt you, okay?"

She bopped him on the nose, and Lavi decided he'd unnerved her enough for one day and giggled, going back to his blocks, thinking that over.

Loki's staff, if he remembered. Definitely dangerous. Hard to find, if they were still looking for it over a year later. Maybe a high-value item, something they were competing for with someone else… or looking to steal it from.

He pretended to get bored and pulled himself up with Pepper's help, standing, wobbly, on his feet. (This was also much harder than he remembered.)

"I wanna go t'play woom," he announced.

Pepper smiled at him and nodded. "You go ahead, I'll be right in. You remember where it is?" He nodded eagerly and she laughed. "Of course you do."

He smiled at her, big and bright, and then toddled off because he still couldn't walk right.

Pepper was very busy. That much was clear. Still, she always made time to play with him, and he didn't quite know what to make of it.

Well. Actually, he knew exactly what to make of it. He smiled and wrestled the door open without falling over, then left it only barely open behind him.

"Jawvi'?" Lavi called out, toddling to a specific box and then plopping down to dig through it.

"Yes, Master Lavi?" came JARVIS' response almost instantly.

"What i…  _is_  Dad lookin' fo…  _for?"_  Damn, but some of those sounds were hard to make. No cursing, though. It felt weird to curse when he was a baby.

"Loki's staff." JARVIS' voice had pitched lower, to prevent Pepper for overhearing, Lavi figured. He appreciated JARVIS' forethought. "It was previously proven to have certain mind control capabilities, akin to brainwashing. It is currently in HYDRA's possession."

"Hydwa-" Damn it. "-are th' bad guys, wight?" This was really embarrassing. "Tryna take ovew the wowld, wowld dominatio' stuff."

"That is correct. HYDRA believes that humans cannot be trusted with their own freedom."

"They'w not wong," Lavi muttered, picking out his puzzle and laying it out to solve. "But they'w prob'ly doin' somethin' stupi', huh?"

"Indeed." JARVIS sounded sort of amused. Possibly because of the sharp contrast between Lavi's words and his childish manner of speaking. "They intend to take the entire world under a dictatorship, and kill off anyone deemed a threat."

Lavi snorted. "Course," he mumbled. "Tanks, Jawvi'."

"Of course, Master Lavi."

Lavi played quietly with his puzzle for a few minutes longer - more hand-eye coordination stuff, since it wasn't remotely challenging. The door opened and Pepper came in, and he grinned at her. Not a fake one, either, to his own surprise. It never was.

He wasn't a Bookman anymore, after all.

She smiled at him and sat beside him. "What are you playing with?" she asked.

"Puzzle," he replied promptly. "Is stupi'."

She laughed aloud, brushing her hand through his hair fondly, and he found himself leaning into the touch. "My little genius," she said fondly. "You're going to be  _so much_  trouble when you're older."

She had no idea. But she sounded so happy, and so loving, and Lavi's chest felt warm, and maybe...

"When Daddy comin' home?" Lavi asked instead. Maybe… maybe he  _wouldn't_  wait for Tony to ask. And maybe Tony wasn't going to.

"I don't know," she sighed, looking at his puzzle, which he was almost done putting together. "In a few days, most likely." She shot him a small smile. "Not long."

"Okay," he replied, and kept playing.


	10. Remember the Time

It was. It was a few days, no longer, and then Tony came home, laughing at something Bruce, with his little wry smile, had said. Thor was one step behind, chatting animatedly with bemused Steve, while Natasha and Clint backed them up silently, smiling slightly.

Lavi waited for them to settle, Steve next to Natasha and Bruce with Tony and Clint with Thor, and then toddled over. Steve smiled at him brightly, turning Natasha's head, and Lavi waved.

Then he headed for Tony and tugged on his sleeve, making him look down expectantly, brown eyes intent and focused; Tony very rarely gave Lavi anything less than his full attention.

"Daddy," he said, soft and solemn. "I wanna talk t'you an' Mommy."

He could see that making its way through Tony's mind, the expression on Lavi's face registering, and the way Tony's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and then apprehension, and then relief and something like acceptance. Tony glanced at Bruce, who shrugged and sat back, and then stood up, smiling at Lavi. "Alright, Lavi," he said quietly. "Let's go find your Mommy."

The moment they were out of the room, Tony lifted Lavi up. He couldn't remember seeing Lavi so serious, and it didn't sit right with him. Because he wasn't so bad a father that he couldn't tell when his son was  _scared._

Pepper was working at her desk, at Tony's old (unused) desk, but the moment she saw them come in, she dropped the tablet she was perusing and _looked_  at them. "Now?" she asked, green eyes flicking between Tony and Lavi.

Because she'd been expecting this, waiting for this, as much as Tony had, he knew. Waiting for Lavi to come to them about whatever it was JARVIS had hinted at, and it was one of the hardest decisions they had ever made. Curiosity burned in Tony's gut, and he felt antsy and impatient. Didn't show it, though.

"I don't know," Tony replied, lifting Lavi up to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "Now, Lavi?"

Lavi bit his lip and nodded, small and tentative and scared and he was  _so little._

Pepper stood up instantly, crossing the room to reach her boys and to smile reassuringly at Lavi, briefly carding her fingers through his hair before she asked quietly, "Do you want to go somewhere for this, Lavi?"

Lavi tilted his head into her touch, he always did, and said softly, "Libwawy?"

"Alright," Pepper said, gentle and steady, trying hard not to let her anticipation show, to let her hands shake. "We'll go now."

Lavi smiled at her, and Tony chuckled, and there was tension in the air, vibrating and intense.

"Library," Tony complained, filling the silence, making both Pepper and Lavi smile at him in amusement. "Of all places, Lavi! You could have chosen the lab. The TV room. The playroom. The _library?"_

Lavi giggled softly, and Tony kept talking until they reached it. JARVIS was conspicuously silent, a presence hanging over them, protective and steady, and they sat down. Lavi sat up on Tony's lap, one hand fisted in the shoulder of his shirt, and Pepper picked up the other, her thumb stroking gently over the mark on his wrist.

Despite this, Lavi's discomfort visibly returned, and he squirmed and fidgeted while both his parents sat and waited. (Tony was not aware that he had possessed this much patience.)

Finally, Lavi spoke, voice soft and high and childish.

"When I was born," he whispered, not looking at either of them. "Daddy called me 'Tony Junior', an' then Mommy named me Lavi. An' I met Wodey, an' then Jawvis."

Tony stilled. There was…  _no way_  that Lavi could know that. Two-year-olds didn't reliably know that they  _were_  born, and JARVIS wouldn't have shown him the footage without prompting because _why would he,_  and...

Lavi lifted his head then, looking at Pepper shamefully, and then at Tony, green eyes round and guilty.

"This…" Lavi trailed off, bit his lip, and tried again. "I been… I been born b'fore."

And two-year-olds certainly didn't reliably know enough to have even  _heard_  of reincarnation.

Pepper inhaled sharply, and she glanced up to meet Tony's wide eyes, uncertain because Lavi was  _two_  but he was fundamentally honest and also this was  _serious,_  and Tony's mind was racing even as he stopped breathing.

Lavi hardly ever cried. He hadn't spent any time learning his colors, words had come astonishingly quickly even when sounds had not, and he thought the puzzles he solved were a joke, and he always understood much, much more about what was going on than an infant, a toddler should. He hadn't been scared or disruptive during the SHIELD breakdown a year before... and they piled up from there.

Tony waited a few long moments before he spoke, because he'd only get one chance to handle this, and he had to do it  _right._  "You're a reincarnation." His voice was a little more blank than he'd intended, and Lavi flinched.

"...Yeah," Lavi said softly. When neither made to respond immediately, just staring at him - a little stupidly, Tony would readily admit, because this had  _not_  been on his half-panicked list of possibilities, come up with in the darkest hours of the night - he continued hastily, tripping over his words in a way that reminded Tony sharply of himself. "I' was… it was eighteen seventy-six, an' I was tweny-twee, an' I sorry, I didn' know how t'tell you, or wha' you'd say…"

Lavi's eyes were filling with tears now, and that overruled Tony's sudden rush of (irrational) panic as he imagined Lavi dying at  _twenty-three, fuck._  (Somewhere in the back of his mind, he started to come up with theories and scenarios and how he could avoid them and how to protect Lavi-)

"It's okay, Lavi," Pepper said, gentle and reassuring, with a shakiness in her voice that Tony recognized from so many times before, when her world was shaken up and she was shaken up but she knew that Tony needed her more. Only it wasn't Tony this time. It was Lavi. "It's okay, we understand, thank you, thank you for telling us this. It was the right thing. It's okay."

Lavi sniffled tremulously and Tony felt a little lost, but Pepper was ready, Pepper was  _always_  ready so she took Lavi from his lap and hugged him, rocking him gently, shushing him.

And when Lavi calmed down, staring up at both of them with a small smile and green eyes that were big and vulnerable, Tony took a deep breath, grinned, and teased,

"You're still a baby to me, little buddy. No matter  _how_  far back you were born." His brown eyes softened slightly, and he added, "And I still love you, alright? Cross my heart." He crossed his fingers over where his arc reactor used to be, and Lavi smiled up at him.

"Love you too," Lavi promised. "Cwoss my heawt." He crossed over his heart with short, chubby fingers.

Tony grinned at him, and it was okay. He'd freak out later, and he and Pepper would talk about this, and someday ask what had happened _last time_  (even as Tony already started to come up with theories and possibilities and questions to ask) but for now, it was okay. They were okay.

"And JARVIS?" Tony said suddenly, and he could almost hear JARVIS' sudden apprehension. He smiled instead. "Thanks. For looking out for Lavi."

JARVIS' voice was warm and honest. "Anytime, sir."

* * *

The Winter Soldier woke up in the middle of the night. It was dark outside, and they were in an abandoned house tonight, low on funds.

He shifted around a little, and then heard a soft, protesting murmur from below, and looked down. Yuu was curled up against his chest, shoulders rising and falling with each breath, eyes closed in sleep. He blinked, and then shifted so his metal arm was further from the boy, and his flesh one draped over him, pulling him a little closer, head on his chest.

It wasn't uncommon for Yuu and the soldier to sleep in the same bed. Sometimes there weren't two beds; other times, Yuu would wake up in the middle of the night and do this, quiet as the grave and with the silent, but not unexpressed emotion he was coming to learn was normal for the boy.

Moments later, though, Yuu yawned and blinked awake, pushing himself up slightly to look at Bucky, head tilting to one side, navy eyes clouded with sleep.

Bucky lifted his hand and rested in on Yuu's head, urging it back down. "Sh, Yuu," he murmured. "Go back to sleep."

Yuu blinked at him, frowning, and then shrugged and laid his head back down, closing his eyes again. Within moments, he was asleep again.

Bucky smiled slightly. It was a strange, foreign expression, and it stretched the muscles of his cheeks. But it wasn't unpleasant. He closed his eyes.

Soon enough, he was asleep, too.


	11. Intermediaries

Skye was being quarantined.

Tripp was gone.

Melinda was unaccountably tense.

Lenalee sniffled and shook and whimpered and tried very hard not to cry, but tears were welling in her eyes and spilling down her face, and she was choking up, and finally she gave in.

Melinda was away from the punching bag she'd been taking her feelings out on and right beside her in a moment, picking her up. But it was a bit late for that.

There were so many things wrong that Lenalee didn't even know where to begin. For one, it turned out that SHIELD was, apparently, _terrified_  of people with powers, and she hoped to a God she still hated that her Innocence never activated. And Melinda especially was afraid of them, and she was trying to soothe Lenalee even as she cried, and she would be  _so mad if she knew, so mad._

And Skye was over in the little glass box looking dismayed and unhappy, and Tripp was nowhere in sight, and Melinda was tense and unhappy, and that probably meant one thing and one thing only, the way everyone was acting, and…

Would this be like the Order? Where everyone died eventually, and there was so much fighting, and God, it was scary, it was  _terrifying,_  and she couldn't do it again, she couldn't, she didn't want to! She didn't want to!

"Sh, sh, it'll be alright, Lenalee, you're fine, you're fine," Melinda murmured softly, rocking her gently. "Sh, baby girl, sh."

Lenalee cried until she was too tired to keep crying, and then she fell asleep.

Everything seemed so much bigger when you were a baby.

* * *

Bucky was pacing. Kanda could not vocalize how much he did not care.

There was a fireplace in this house, so he toddled over, plopped down, and smeared the ashes around savagely, taking pleasure in making a mess of himself and also the floor. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down. Ha.

Behind him, Bucky was nearly pulling his hair out with frustration, grunting in anger and occasionally punching the wall with the hand that  _wouldn't_  put a hole in it. Kanda figured he was trying to get his head on straight, but it didn't work that way. It never did.

Unfortunately, Kanda's own attention span wasn't currently long enough to meditate properly. He'd get in a few minutes at a time, at best. And any form of training? Forget it.

So. Ashes it was.

A few hours passed and Kanda decided he was hungry, so he brushed his hands off, pushed himself up with the wall, and wobbled over to Bucky's bag, which held a few snacks for him that he could get himself.

He picked out a chunk of cheese and some sliced-up apples and sat down to eat them, clumsily opening their bags and biting down savagely.

He felt Bucky sit down heavily beside him, the cool metal of his arm brushing Kanda's. Kanda ignored him.

"Where were you kept when I was in cryo?" Bucky asked suddenly, voice slightly hoarse.

Kanda swallowed his cheese. "Don' know," he answered disinterestedly. "Whi' woom. Sci'tists fe' me an' stuff." It had been really boring, and possibly he hated scientists more than he already had.

"Where did you come from?" Bucky pressed. Apparently these questions had been really bothering him. Possibly for a while.

"Esperimen'." Kanda didn't look at him. "Hydwa esperimen'. Pewfekt assassi'." He hesitated for a moment, and then added, "Fwom you."

He felt Bucky stiffen. It was a few moments more before Bucky spoke. He ate more.

"What do you remember?"

Kanda took another bite of apple and ignored the question. That wasn't for Bucky to know.

Bucky waited a few moments before apparently realizing that he was not going to get an answer, and instead asked,

"Do you know what they were planning to do with you?"

Kanda paused, and considered the question for a moment, still not looking at him. Bucky waited.

"Wi' me," he said finally. His breath hitched slightly; he still hated to think about it. He didn't want to be a weapon again. Not ever again. "Use me. Li' you. When I tuwn six."

Bucky let out a hissing, frustrated breath. Then they both remained silent long enough for Kanda to finish his food, and Kanda stood up, starting to head back to his ashes.

On his way there, though, he paused, and turned back to look at Bucky, intent and serious.

"Ge' youw hea' on stwaight, stupi' bear," he added. "If you wanna know 'bout who ya wewr, you gonna nee' ta fin' Steef." Just like he had needed to find Alma.

And then he moved next to the fireplace, plopped down, and went back to playing.

The stupid bear was gonna get himself back together if it was the last thing Kanda did.

* * *

Bruce was in the lab with Tony. This was normal.

Less normal was the fact that Tony's little son was also in the lab, and it was making Bruce very, very nervous.

He looked down and saw Lavi looking up at him curiously with big green eyes, and jumped a mile, heartbeat jumping to dangerous levels in a second. Lavi grinned and giggled at him, and Bruce tried to calm himself down with big, deep breaths. Hulking out because he was worried about Hulking out was counterproductive.

"Ah, Tony," he said weakly. "Your son…"

"Hm?" Tony glanced up, took in the situation, and grinned. "Ha! Good for you, Lavi! Bruce, don't worry about it, seriously. He just likes you. Promise, he likes you  _more_  than he likes Steve and Natasha, and they spoil him, I swear, he's going to grow up worse than I did and it's going to be  _all their fault."_

He looked supremely unconcerned with Lavi's proximity to Bruce and, by extension, the Hulk. Bruce would be touched if  _he_  wasn't so worried.

Lavi looked over at Tony and grinned, then looked up at Bruce. "You funny," he said plainly.

"If you say so," Bruce murmured, shaking his head and reaching down to ruffle Lavi's hair reluctantly. Lavi grinned at him, then lifted his arms.

"Up!" he demanded.

Bruce glanced up at Tony, who wasn't even looking anymore.

"Daddy say it okay," Lavi insisted. He should have known that any child of Tony's would be pushy.

"Tony?" Bruce called.

"Yes," Tony said.

Bruce sighed and rolled his eyes, but he bent down to pick Lavi up anyway, awkwardly putting him on his hip. Then he wondered what to do now.

"Desk," Lavi pushed, smacking his side insistently with a pouty frown.

Bruce glanced at his (much cleaner than Tony's) desk, and then, again reluctantly, set the child on a clear portion of his desk, away from any chemicals.

Apparently satisfied, Lavi settled, holding surprisingly still for such a young child.

"What you doin'?" he asked interestedly, looking at the papers Bruce had been reading and the sheet he'd been taking notes on.

"Um." Bruce was not prepared to deal with children. Mostly he dealt with sick or worried children, and even them he tried to be around as little as he could manage. "I'm looking over these readouts."

"What they about?" Lavi asked. He seemed… very interested. Bruce eyed the child curiously. And he didn't fail to notice Tony glancing over at them with a strange little smile.

"Gamma radiation," he replied, taking the question at face value while he tried to figure out what seemed off about Lavi. "The same kind that created the Hulk." Then, hastily, "It's very dangerous, so you should stay away from it."

Lavi hummed in understanding and then asked, "What it mean?"

Bruce considered him for a moment, then settled down a little and pulled the papers over, and started to walk Lavi through it.

Maybe he'd just inherited his father's genius. Possibly most of his oddities could boil down to that.

Bruce had a feeling that wasn't it, though.

 


	12. Look Around

Melinda had been reluctant at first, considering new developments, to let Skye play with Lenalee again. Skye was, after all, in quarantine. What would they even do?

But she'd found a spare moment and brought Lenalee to play anyway, without letting her into quarantine, and Skye seemed happy. So did Lenalee, for that matter, who wasn't even questioning why Skye was behind a sheet of plexiglass.

Skye was resourceful. Melinda had never quite gotten a chance to forget this, but she had to smile a little as this fact displayed itself in a new way, and Skye managed to coax Lenalee into a game of peek-a-boo through the glass.

Skye covered her face, and Lenalee's eyes widened and she looked around, cooing in confusion. Skye removed her hands, and Lenalee let out a crooning, delighted sound as she found Skye again, and Skye grinned at her. Melinda chuckled quietly.

Taking care of Lenalee was even more difficult than she had expected it to be; there was always something important happening. Something that required her immediate attention, or was emotionally taxing, or dangerous.

Then there were the heart attacks. Any threat to the ship was now far more terrifying than it ever had been before, because  _Lenalee_  was on the ship. More than once, she considered whether this was really what was best for Lenalee, but she had to admit - she'd been compromised. By a baby. How embarrassing.

But it was worth it. Lenalee was worth it.

It helped that Lenalee was, all things considered, an easy baby. She rarely cried (save that one day after the San Juan incident, when she'd been inconsolable), didn't demand a lot of attention, was easily fed, and wasn't even a picky eater. Coulson claimed that she took after her mother. Easy for him to say.

"Peek-a-boo!"

"Ahh!" Lenalee clapped her hands and beamed at Skye, who grinned at her, pleased, and then hid her face again. Lenalee let out a confused sound and looked around, and Skye chuckled before revealing herself again.

"Peek-a-boo!"

"Ahh!"

Melinda was going to file this under 'Blackmail Material'.

If she ever regained the ability to look Skye in the eye.

* * *

_Lavi backed up, eyes wide, hands clenched around his hammer. There were akuma everywhere, huge and looming, taking aim at him. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to take cover, just him and the endless, cackling akuma._

_They shot, and he warded off the bullets easily with a single swing. Only he wasn't alone._

_Kanda screamed, and he wasn't healing, and he fell, bleeding and crumbling and gasping painfully, blood bubbling from his lips. "Idiot rabbit," he gasped out, turning his head to glare at frozen Lavi with the last of his strength._

_Lenalee cried out, and fell to the ground, legs twisted and mangled, and she was crying. "Lavi!" she sobbed. "Lavi, please!"_

_Allen didn't scream, and he didn't cry out; he turned his head to look at Lavi, eyes wide, and then his knees folded, and he fell. His eyes turned sad, and then they closed._

_"It's all your fault, Lavi! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"_

_"They're just ink on paper. Bookmen have no need for a heart. Just look away."_

_But Lavi couldn't. He watched Kanda claw for life up until his last shuddering breath, he watched the light die from Lenalee's eyes, and, with a finger on his neck, he felt Allen's heart slow to a shivery stop._

_And he turned, and there was Bookman, and Tony, and Pepper, and Komui, and Reever, Johnny, Bruce, Krory, Thor, Miranda, Marie, Natasha, Clint, Tiedoll, Nyne, Rhodey-_

_All dead. Staring at him. Bloody and silent and still. Lavi stumbled back and screamed, horrified, bile rising in his throat as the stench filled his nostrils._

_And then he felt the Flame Wing tag hit his back, and there was fire, and he burned._

Lavi woke up crying.

"Master Lavi?" JARVIS sounded alarmed. "Master Lavi, should I call Sir?"

Lavi wasn't paying attention; he buried his head in his pillow, shaking, tears soaking into the material. Nightmares were  _much_  worse than he remembered.

"Master Lavi, I'm calling Sir. He should be there within a few moments."

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Lavi could hear Tony's alarmed voice at the door.

"Buddy? Little man?" Footsteps, and then the bed dipped beside Lavi, and Tony lifted him up and set him against his chest. Lavi whimpered and clung to him and felt like a little kid. "Lavi, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Don' go," Lavi managed finally, hands fisting in Tony's nightshirt, tears soaking the cotton. "Don' go."

"Not going anywhere, buddy," Tony promised him instantly, hugging him tight. "I promise."

A few minutes passed in which Lavi continued crying. Tony was worried; he wasn't sure he could think of a time Lavi had cried this hard even when he was a baby.

"I believe he had a nightmare, sir," JARVIS volunteered, confirming Tony's suspicions.

Well, Tony knew all about nightmares. He may not know what they were about - he and Pepper had agreed not to push Lavi, who seemed more than content not to talk about it - but he knew how to handle them.

But, not for the first time, well… It occurred to Tony that people  _weren't generally reborn,_  and maybe… probably, Lavi's last life _hadn't been so normal._

Shit. This might be bigger than Tony had thought. And he'd thought it was pretty big.

Showing no signs of this realization, Tony patted Lavi's back and stood up, hoisting the little boy up with him. "Alright, little buddy. Do you want to talk about it?" Lavi sniffled and looked up at him with big, wet green eyes, and nodded cautiously. "Right, well, can't do this on an empty stomach. How do cookies sound?"

Lavi managed a small smile, and Tony grinned at him, then hoisted him up on his shoulders and carried him off to the kitchen, where he found the cookie jar - yes, an actual cookie jar - picked out a handful for each of them, and then returned to Lavi's bed, sitting down and relocating Lavi to his lap.

For a few moments, both of them quietly munched on the cookies, and after a few long moments, Lavi leaned his head against his shoulder and started to talk, hushed and quiet.

"Las' time, I didn'... didn' have a lotta fweinds. Bu' all the fweinds I had were exowcists, like me." Lavi tilted his head up to find Tony looking down at him, eyes dark and concerned, just visible in the dim light. "An' there was a gwoup, they were called the CROW. An' they didn't li'e exowcists." His breath hitched, and his expression crumpled. "They were s'pposed to be on  _ouw side._  But they weren', an' I didn' know 'til it was too late."

When Lavi made no move to continue speaking, in favor of burying his face in Tony's nightshirt, Tony asked quietly, not keeping the dangerous venom out of his voice (because he wasn't stupid), "What happened?"  _And what was an exorcist?_

_Who were you, Lavi?_

Lavi listened to that tone, and tightened his fist in Tony's jacket, taking a little comfort from it. Tony sounded… angry, that someone would have done that, even before he knew the details. Even though it was before Lavi had been Tony's son. He sounded ready to go back in time and take vengeance on them if he had to.

"They killed us," Lavi said softly, and it was to himself as much as to Tony, to force himself to remember and to accept. "All o' us." His breath hitched. "They se' me on  _fire,_  Daddy. Don' like fire anymowe." He didn't fail to notice the way Tony's arms tightened, angry and protective, around him. "An' I dweamed… tha'  _evewyone_  was dead. You, an' Mommy, an' Bookman, Kanda, Allen, Lenalee, Wodey, Steve, Tasha…  _evewyone."_

Tony winced - a boy as young as Lavi shouldn't have those sorts of dreams, it was just  _so wrong_  - and hummed at him, one hand rubbing his back softly. "We're not dead," he promised. "None of the people you know now, we're not dead. And there are no CROW here."

Lavi's fists tightened in his shirt again, and he wasn't so sure. But he smiled anyway. "Love you," he whispered.

"I love you too, Lavi. Cross my heart."

* * *

Kanda was trying to meditate. It was not working.

He just couldn't _concentrate._  Every footstep was interesting, every clunk, every stray thought demanded his immediate attention. His eyes snapped open to look at things every other noise, and it was  _irritating._

"Yuu."

Kanda's concentration was shattered, _again,_  as Bucky picked him up and hefted him high enough for him to wrap his arms around his neck. Kanda scowled at him, and Bucky regarded him thoughtfully, disregarding the scowl.

"Do you not have anything to do?" Bucky asked him.

Kanda scowled, then laid his head on his shoulder and frowned at the wall. "No," he muttered irritably. "Nothin' t' do." He  _wanted_  to _meditate,_  but the stupid bear made too much noise, and he had no attention span. None at all.

Bucky considered this. "Small children need mental stimulation," he decided finally. Kanda knew that letting him read those books about childcare was a bad idea. "Let's go, Yuu."

Kanda pushed himself up a little so he could frown at Bucky properly. "What we doin', stupi' bear?"

"Call me 'Dad' in public," Bucky reminded him. "We're getting you toys."

Kanda considered this. He stared at Bucky. "Toys?" he echoed, genuinely befuddled.

"Yes," Bucky replied seriously, heading out the door. "Toys are supposed to be good for small children."

Kanda stared at him for a few moments longer, and then huffed and let himself lean on the bear's shoulder again. "Stupi' bear," he repeated. Bucky  _almost_  smiled; Bucky was gaining the ability to think for himself.

Mostly in regards to Kanda, but Kanda didn't want to contemplate that.

The toy store in this town wasn't huge, but it was the biggest intact toy store _Kanda_  had ever been in. Bucky instructed him to pick three toys, and Kanda thought about it for far too long before picking out a jar of Play-Doh, a yo-yo, and a bouncy ball.

Bucky also bought him a teddy bear, and a book called 'Stellaluna'.

A small smile decorated Kanda's face all the way back to the safehouse, and the teddy, basic with short brown fur and glassy eyes, fit neatly under his arm, between his chest and Bucky's.


	13. Enter Allen

Lenalee could walk.

She had forgotten how nice, how freeing it was to walk, even when she was almost as wobbly as she had been when she’d died (but without half so much pain).

Lenalee toddled down the hall, because she felt like walking and Melinda wasn’t paying attention to her, because… well, a lot of stuff had been going on lately.

There had been an exciting week or so where the helicarrier was being taken over by what appeared to be another faction of SHIELD, but they seemed to have made their peace for now, which was good.

Lenalee poked her head into the lab - while she wasn’t fond of Simmons (her fear of people with powers was too much for Lenalee to take from her - even from Melinda, it hurt), Fitz was always good for a bit of play, no matter how busy he was.

Fitz-Simmons wasn’t there, but there were two people she didn’t recognize in there, even with the new slew of people from the other faction. Curious, she wobbled her way forward, clutching onto various steady-looking furnishings for support.

A man and a woman, sticking close together. Tests were being done on the woman, who looked like she was only barely tolerating it - Lenalee could sympathize. The man was smiling at her, reassuring and a little amused.

Then the woman spotted her and started, and the man furrowed his brow and followed her gaze to Lenalee.

Lenalee stared up at them curiously. “Ah?” she asked, wishing she could talk.

The man quirked an eyebrow. “Well,” he commented. He leaned down and picked her up, and Lenalee let him because she was very curious. “What are you doing here, girl? You seem a little young to be working here.” He winked at her and she giggled.

The woman seemed inordinately interested in her, sitting up a little more and peering at her with a slight frown. Lenalee tilted her head at her. “Oohn?”

Technically speaking, Lenalee didn’t have to babble - there were some monosyllabic words she could probably manage if she tried - but honestly, babbling was fun, and people made the funniest faces. Also if she started talking, people would probably get suspicious.

And, as previously mentioned, Melinda didn’t like people with powers.

“That, Ward, is Lenalee, Melinda May’s girl,” one of the doctors informed the man, apparently Ward. “It would probably be for the best if you put her down.”

Ward? That sounded familiar.

...Right, the two-faced traitor who liked to use his childhood as an excuse, and also her biological father. (In this life, Lenalee added mentally, wanting to disassociate herself from him as much as possible.) Lenalee frowned at him. He wasn’t looking at her, though; his face had shut down, which in her experience (with Allen and Lavi, mostly) meant that he was very, very interested.

“Really?” he said casually, not making any move to put Lenalee down. “Who’s the father?”

“You’re not stupid, Ward.”

Melinda strode in with a tight expression that expressed her disapproval clear as day to Lenalee’s eyes, and then, without breaking her stride, she went to Ward and plucked Lenalee out of his hands. Lenalee cooed at her and batted at her face cheerfully. Melinda ignored this with admirable dignity and looked at her with a Very Serious face.

“This is Grant Ward,” Melinda informed her. Lenalee stopped playing and gave Melinda the serious face she used to let her know she was listening. “He is not allowed near you. If he touches you again, cry.” Then she nodded at the woman. “This is Agent 33-”

“Kara,” the woman correctly tightly. Melinda nodded reluctantly.

“Who is also not allowed to touch you,” Melinda finished. “Stay away from both of them.”

“Ahh!” Lenalee agreed, breaking her serious face to croon cheerfully. Melinda nodded at her seriously, and then looked up at Ward, who was staring at Lenalee, visibly startled.

“I’ll see you on the mission, Ward,” she said tersely, and then turned around and walked out, still holding Lenalee. Once they were in the hall, Melinda continued to Lenalee, giving her a stern look, “Lenalee, don’t wander off like that. It’s not safe, and I don’t trust nearly enough of the people here for you to go unsupervised.”

Lenalee gave her an appropriately chastised look, and then buried her face in Melinda’s collarbone, content despite the encounter with the man she’d disliked since hearing about him.

Honestly. If a horrible childhood was all it took to turn a decent person into someone like Ward, most of her friends would be as bad as the Noah.

 

* * *

 

“An’ then Daddy said that Mommy was jus’ bein’ mean,” Lavi was chattering to an amused Thor, little hands clinging to his arm, hanging off it. “But Mommy said tha’ Daddy needed to do his work righ’ now, and tha’ she would play wi’ me ‘til he was done.”

“Your father does have a great propensity for dodging his duties,” Thor agreed, smiling. “It is very good of your mother to keep him… ‘on task’?” He glanced questioningly at Pepper, who nodded in confirmation, most of her attention still on Natasha.

Pausing to listen, Lavi tuned in to Pepper and Natasha’s conversation.

“Have you and Steve talked about this?” Pepper sounded concerned. Ignoring Thor’s sudden frown, Lavi tilted his head to listen better.

“Of course we have.” Natasha sounded weary, which was unusual for her; she hated showing weakness of any sort. “Foster care isn’t appropriate in this line of work, of course, and for now, we can’t provide a stable home. We’re out too much.”

“I see.” Pepper’s expression was sympathetic, and she reached over to wrap her arm around Natasha’s shoulders and squeeze lightly. “Do you mean to someday, though?”

“We’d like to,” Natasha admitted. Lavi frowned, ducking his head a little more. He hadn’t known that Natasha wanted children. Natasha glanced over at Steve, who was deep in conversation with Tony, and then dropped her voice slightly. “Steve really wants children, though. He hasn’t spoken about it much, of course - you know how he is.” She rolled her eyes, but her face was fond, if exasperated. “He doesn’t want to make me feel guilty.”

“Of course he doesn’t, it’s not your fault,” Pepper told her firmly. “Are you going to push the issue?”

Natasha gave her a look that clearly said ‘what do you take me for’ and replied, “Soon.”

Lavi ‘hm’ed and went back to talking to Thor. It might be nice to have another kid around, he supposed.

 

* * *

 

When the city rose into the air, Bucky and Kanda were just close enough to see it, perched in a tree, watching.

Bucky was tense, but he was pretending not to be so as not to worry Kanda. Which was stupid, because Kanda knew as well as he did that if that city dropped, that was Earth gone. And wouldn’t that be fucking dumb? Saved from akuma and destroyed by a robot.

They continued to watch as the landmass that would have obliterated Earth was obliterated, and Bucky seemed satisfied enough to drop down from his perch in the tree and start to head back to the motel.

Safely inside, Bucky said abruptly, “I am going to track down Steve.” He never called him Captain America.

“I going wi’ you,” Kanda said, and there was no further discussion.

 

* * *

 

“Oh, God, have mercy.”

Allen opened his eyes and met the shell-shocked look of what looked like a doctor. He felt cold and his chest hurt, and his eyes filled involuntarily with tears. A moment later, the dam burst and his cry filled the air.

His friends? His friends. Where were…?

Allen was dead. He had to be dead. Except…

He was being carried, the hands beneath him ginger and wary and stiff. He felt… tiny. Was he… was he a baby?

Oh, no. Please, God, no.

“Ma’am…” A woman, exhausted but looking interested and hopeful, with blonde hair and blue eyes, peeked into view. “You may want to brace yourself.”

“Come on, doctor,” she huffed, holding out her arms. “Let me see the little thing.”

Allen was placed into the woman’s arms, and he peered up at her, still whimpering softly. The woman looked down at him, paled, and dropped him. He tumbled to the ground, and his voice cut out abruptly.

 

 


	14. New People

It was dark and cold. The room smelled bad, and Allen could just make out the bars of his bare crib. His stomach protested with hunger, and he shivered, curled in on himself.

Marlisa von Strucker was a single mother with quite a lot of hate built up in her. She spoke German, and Allen sometimes wished that that wasn’t one of the languages he’d learned, with the things she said to him. She was always busy, making calls or hiding from the world, and if she’d had a name in mind for him, he had never learned it. Marlisa had no love for a disfigured infant.

How unusual, Allen thought with uncharacteristic bitterness, tipping his head back to glance behind him. Nothing to see there, either, and nothing to distract him from his thoughts.

He felt cold, and he was worried about his friends. Did any of them get away? Any of them? Could they get away from the CROW? Were they okay?

Were they here, too? Or was Allen…?

Allen’s eyes filled with tears, and his breath hitched warningly. He hated this more than anything, but he couldn’t seem to stop it. Couldn’t help himself. Even though he knew he was by no means helping himself.

He cried, loud enough to fill the room with despair and fear and distress.

He hadn’t wanted to do this again, he hadn’t ever wanted to do this again. He didn’t want to be alone. He didn’t want it. Not again.

He wanted his friends. He missed them.

But he didn’t want them to see him like this, either.

The sound of the door made Allen stop abruptly, swallowing the cry in his throat, and blinding light spilled across his eyes, making him wince and squint.

Marlisa stormed across the room to glare down at him, bags beneath her eyes and a fearsome scowl on her face, more menacing for the complete lack of sympathy or fondness in it. Dirty blonde hair hung down about her face, and her dull blue eyes were crinkled in anger.

“Shut up, you little brat,” she hissed, making Allen flinch and whimper. He could smell alcohol on her breath. “No, I don’t want to hear it! Not a sound out of you, or I’ll have you out on the streets! You are lucky that I am keeping you at all, you abominable thing, after my husband went and died trying to make his precious HYDRA great, leaving me with nothing but you!”

Allen clamped his mouth shut, his heart freezing in his chest, and she glared one last time before sweeping out of the room. The door slammed shut behind her, and Allen tried his best to swallow any other sound he might have made. But he couldn’t do anything for the frightened tears sliding down his face.

 

* * *

 

Kanda clutched at Bucky’s human hand and looked at the building before them apprehensively.

Bucky had finally tracked down the Avengers and gotten up the nerve to go approach them. They had to be smart about this, Bucky had told Kanda. Because Bucky had been an assassin, and he’d tried to kill their leader.

They had to be careful. Kanda understood that.

Finally, Bucky approached the door and reached for the handle, and, as expected, a man landed hard beside them and stopped Bucky before he could so much as touch the door.

“Not one step forward,” the man – Sam, Kanda recalled – said warningly.

Bucky glanced at him, looked him up and down, and finally, nodded, and withdrew. “I need to speak to your captain,” he said, voice pitched low, not letting go of Kanda’s hand.

“Yeah, I gotcha,” Sam dismissed, and he reached up to a machine in his ear without taking his eyes off of Bucky. “Cap? He’s here.” His eyes flicked down to Kanda, who scowled at him. “And there’s a kid here. He doesn’t look scared; I think he’s the same one as before.”

Bucky glanced at Kanda, and then moved his hand a little, urging Kanda behind him. Kanda ignored him and continued to scowl at Sam.

They weren’t waiting a few minutes before the door opened again to admit a redheaded woman who Kanda recognized from before, Natasha. Natasha looked Bucky up and down, gaze lingering on Kanda for a moment and the bag at Bucky’s hip for another, before she met his eyes directly.

“Winter Soldier,” she greeted guardedly. “Steve’s been wanting to see you, so we’ll give you a chance. Why do you want to see him?”

“I… want… to know who I was,” Bucky explained haltingly, urging Kanda over again. Kanda gave in this time, pressing a little closer against him, but he was still bristling, scowling at Natasha now, feeling defensive. “Speaking with Steve will help me achieve that.”

“Hm.” Natasha studied him. “How many weapons do you have on you?”

“Six,” Bucky replied without a second thought. “My arm, a knife in each boot, a gun in my jacket, another in the bag, and one I gave to Yuu.”

“Me?” Natasha repeated, taken off-guard.

“Me,” Kanda corrected, scowling at her again. “M’name is Yuu.” He shifted his thick jacket a little to reveal the grip of the gun Bucky had given him, just in case.

Natasha considered him for a moment, and then nodded. “Right answer. You can come in, but we’re watching you.” She paused, a slight smile flickering across her face, and added, “And Yuu.”

Kanda scowled at her and wondered if he shouldn’t have given the name ‘Kanda’ after all.

She turned and opened the door again, leading the way inside, while Sam followed up the back, keeping a careful eye on Bucky.

For a few minutes, there was silence, and then they reached another room and opened it up.

There was only one person in there, but it was clearly Steve. He was standing straight with his arms behind his back, clearly restraining the urge to fidget. Bucky met his blue-eyed gaze with a strange sort of intensity, studying him. Steve stared back, clearly worried, but steady as a rock.

The silence broke as Steve lifted his head and said quietly, “Hey, Bucky.”

“Steve,” Bucky returned without breaking his gaze, voice holding a hint of breathless relief that only Kanda could hear.

Kanda squeezed Bucky’s hand and glared suspiciously around the room. It was obviously a repurposed warehouse, but it was a nice repurposed warehouse. The room they were in now had a TV, two couches, and a couple of armchairs. It was a little messy, with food wrappers and papers scattered on the table and a few on the floor.

“Who’s this?” Steve had apparently decided it was safe to approach and was now crouching down in front of Kanda, smiling gently.

Kanda stared at him mistrustfully. Just because Bucky needed to talk to Steve didn’t mean Kanda had to like him.

“His name is Yuu,” Bucky said at last, when it became clear Kanda wasn’t going to answer. His voice was a little rough, and he cleared his throat before he continued, voice gaining a hint of frustrated confusion. “He was my primary mission - I was to make him into the perfect assassin. I couldn’t… couldn’t leave him.”

Steve looked caught between distress and understanding at that. Quickly, though, he recovered and held a hand out to Kanda.

“Hello, Yuu,” he said, and Kanda noted that his voice was naturally friendly and unintimidating. He wondered if it had ever come in handy. “My name is Steve. I was a friend of Bucky’s.”

Kanda considered him for a moment, and then, with his free hand, reached forward to grasp Steve’s hand with tiny fingers, a facsimile of a handshake. “Stupi’ bear needs friends.”

Bucky looked down at Yuu and Steve with the strangest expression on his face, and Kanda smirked before retracting his hand. Steve looked startled, and then he laughed, shaking his head as he stood up again.

“Your kid is really something,” he said to Bucky. His smile faded as he caught the look on his old friend’s face. “...Bucky?”

“There was a sign,” Bucky said, abrupt and slow. “At the museum. It showed… you, and me, and many other men.” Steve’s face turned solemn as he realized what Bucky was talking about, but Bucky continued anyway. “Who were they?”

“The Howling Commandos,” Steve explained quietly. He led Bucky to one of the couches and sat down, and when Bucky didn’t move to follow, he gestured for him to do so.

Slowly, Bucky sat down beside him, stiff and uncomfortable. Kanda climbed up next to him and curled up against him, causing Bucky to automatically place his arm across the small boy’s shoulders, hand resting on his leg. Kanda rested his head on Bucky’s chest and listened as Steve continued.

“They were our team - they stood with us through, well, everything.” Steve’s smile was painfully reminiscent.

Bucky studied him for a moment, as if searching for lies. Yuu closed his eyes, feeling the steady rise and fall of the big bear’s chest. “But I don’t remember them,” Bucky said finally, startling Kanda slightly with the suddenness of the vibrations. “I remember you.”

Steve’s smile turned sad. “Yeah. You and I were friends for a long time, even before the war.” There was a pause. If Kanda knew Bucky, he was looking at Steve with no expression at all, without any intention of speaking. Steve apparently picked up on this and continued, “Since we were kids, actually, maybe six years old. We met when you found someone beating me up on a playground.” He chuckled ruefully. “That kind of happened a lot. Right up to when I was given the serum, actually.”

More silence. Bucky got like this sometimes, taking a long time to think about things, even simple ones. Which this wasn’t.

Kanda was a little tired; it had taken a while to get here, and he’d been walking most of the way, which was a lot harder on tiny legs. He could feel himself drifting as he continued to listen.

“I thought you were my handler,” Bucky said, mulling this over. His head tilted slightly, his body shifting minutely with the movement. Yuu growled and adjusted. “You say we were… friends?”

Steve nodded so hard Kanda could feel it. “Always.” He sounded a little choked. Kanda idly thought that he should have figured him for the sentimental type. “You always told me I was the bravest idiot you ever knew, and I thought…” He laughed. “That you needed to trust me to take care of myself sometimes.”

While Bucky absorbed this, Kanda felt the couch depress on his other side and felt all traces of sleepiness vanish, eyes snapping open to frown at Sam, who was looking at him thoughtfully.

“Hey, kid.” Kanda stared at him flatly, annoyed. “So I heard you’re a little assassin. That a lot of fun?” Kanda shrugged, a slight scowl pulling at his mouth. Okay, so Sam was weird. Great. Honestly, the things he put up with for the bear. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Do you like staying with Bucky?” Kanda nodded, unwilling to encourage Sam more than necessary but definitely not wanting to harm Bucky’s chances. “Why?” Kanda stared at him. Sam chuckled. “Fair enough. Does he do things with you? Play with you, maybe?”

He looked amused, obviously doubting it. Inexplicably, Kanda was irritated by this. He slid out from under Bucky’s arm and reached into the backpack that lay at Bucky’s feet. For a moment, he rummaged around, and then found what he was looking for and showed it to Sam, taking pleasure from the surprise on his face.

“He reads t’me,” Kanda informed him tartly. “Stellaluna. Story ‘bout a bat tha’ grows up wi’ birds.”

“Really,” Sam said, looking genuinely impressed. “Can I see?” Kanda scowled at him and put it back. When he glanced back up, Sam was holding his hands up defensively. “Okay, I get it, that’s his thing. Do you have a favorite toy?”

Kanda considered, and noted that behind him, the discussion between Bucky and Steve was getting a little more serious and dark, which sort of explained Sam’s annoying stubbornness. He shrugged and reached in again, then held out a small tub of Play-Doh. Sam grinned, bright and pleased.

“That’s great. You know, I always liked Play-Doh. Wanna play?”

Kanda looked at him for another long moment, and then looked down. “Okay,” he conceded, and opened the tub.

Within a few moments, both of them were deeply involved in their own little projects. Kanda was carefully molding a flower with five flat, pointed petals and a large round center, and Sam was making a very tiny, very clumsy person.

Sam huffed as the arm fell off his tiny person again. “This is impossible. How do you do this, kid?”

Kanda glanced at him, then reached up and pinched the joint Sam was trying to reattach, squishing the material together. Sam stared at it.

“Oh.”

Kanda smirked at his flower.

“Sam? Captain? Who is this?”

Kanda frowned and looked up. Then he blinked, surprised.

Something that looked like a cross between a robot and a very red person was floating about a foot over the ground, looking politely puzzled.

Sam stole a glance at Steve and Bucky, who were still deep in conversation. Steve looked sort of like he was about to cry, and Bucky looked a little like he was close to panicking about it, which Kanda thought was funny despite having found himself in the same boat many times with the sprout. Seeing them still oblivious, Sam turned back and beckoned the peculiar man closer.

Still clearly confused, he drifted forward and landed solidly in front of them, then looked down and crouched, looking at Kanda with undisguised fascination. Kanda stared back dispassionately.

“Vision, this is Yuu,” Sam introduced, patting Kanda on the head. Kanda scowled and swatted at it, wishing for his sword. “He came with Bucky.” He flicked his eyes back meaningfully, and the man, apparently Vision, nodded seriously.

“I see. It is very good to meet you, Yuu. I am known as Vision.”

“Hi,” Kanda answered indifferently, already used to his strange appearance. He looked back down and started to make another five-petalled flower.

“What are you doing?” Vision asked, curious.

Kanda ignored him, so Sam was forced to explain.

“It’s called Play-Doh,” Sam told Vision. Kanda saw him reach for a big chunk of it and then toss it to Vision. “You make things out of it, like people, or, uh, flowers.” At Vision’s interested, but slightly confused look, he tacked on, “It’s a kind of pretend play.”

Vision’s eyes cleared and he nodded thoughtfully. “I see. May I join you, Yuu?”

Kanda shrugged and nodded. “Fine. Don’ care.”

A few more minutes passed, which Kanda spent finishing his new flower. He placed it, inverted, over the first, and studied it for a moment, then decided it was good enough for now. Vision, on the other hand, spent fifteen minutes molding tiny pieces of Play-Doh into an extremely intricate robot.

When it was finished, he spent about five seconds looking pretty pleased with himself before it fell apart, and both Sam and Vision stared at it. Vision looked almost comically disappointed.

Sam chuckled and asked Kanda, “How do you fix that, Yuu?”

“Don’ make that.” Kanda didn’t even look up. He set his chin on his arms and stared at his flower. He felt sleepy again; he wondered if he would dream of lotuses. Sometimes it seemed like that was all he ever dreamed about, when he wasn’t having nightmares.

“Kid’s not wrong,” Sam told Vision, amused. “Play-Doh’s not exactly prime building material.”

“You told me it was for making things,” Vision protested. “I took that to mean it would stay together. Was that wrong?”

“It’s for making basic things,” Sam clarified. “It’s for little kids.”

“Ah. I understand,” Vision nodded. He looked down again. “Then I will leave this to… oh.”

Sam frowned and followed his gaze, and then he smiled slightly.

Below them, Yuu slept quietly, breathing soft and even, with his head pillowed on his arms.

 

* * *

 

“This is the meeting room,” Natasha informed Scott, who looked and felt very uncomfortable. They moved on. “The bedrooms. Third on the right is yours.”

A girl who Scott assumed was the Scarlet Witch appeared out of the indicated hallway. She took one look at Scott and vanished back into it. Scott squirmed.

“Wanda doesn’t like strangers,” Natasha explained without looking at him. “This is the kitchen.”

Scott had expected many things when he joined the Avengers. Hazing, for example. Condescension. Obvious dislike, maybe, considering.

The sheer, undiluted awkwardness had not been something he’d been counting on.

In the kitchen, there were two grown men. One, sitting at the table, was a black man he didn’t know, and the other, busy at the counter, was unmistakably the Winter Soldier. There was also, unexpectedly, a small girl with long black hair that hung down to past her shoulders, sitting next to the black man and poking disinterestedly at a cut-up hot dog while the two men talked.

The black man looked up and raised an eyebrow. “Oh, hey, new guy. Come in, we don’t bite.” He paused, grinned a little. “Or I don’t, anyway.”

Caught between relief and apprehension, Scott edged in, looking at the occupants. The Winter Soldier had turned to look at him. His hair had been cut from what Scott had seen on YouTube videos, but Scott was more focused on his terrifyingly unreadable expression. The other man’s grin was a bit too much like a smirk to be welcoming, and the girl hadn’t acknowledged him at all.

Scott considered his options, weighed the worth of his life against his pride, and then sat down next to the little girl.

Natasha and the not-assassin-man were visibly laughing at him, but the Soldier’s gaze had suddenly turned about ten times as dangerous. Still, it was too late to move now. Natasha had taken the only other seat that wasn’t frighteningly close to the scary assassin.

The kid was still ignoring him, picking at her food, so Scott offered the other man at the table a (fake) smile and a hand. “Scott Lang,” he introduced himself, then wondered at superhero etiquette and tacked on belatedly, “Uh, Ant-Man.”

The man gave him an amused smile and reached over the girl’s head to shake his hand. “James Rhodes, War Machine.” Oh. That explained that. “Call me Rhodey.”

Finally, someone friendly. Scott’s grin turned a little more honest. “Alright, Rhodey.”

“This is Yuu, by the way,” Rhodey added, glancing down at the kid. “He’s Bucky’s son.”

...Crap. That was embarrassing. At least he hadn’t had time to call the kid a girl out loud. Wait, Bucky?

“Bucky?” Scott repeated out loud, confused.

“I’m Bucky,” the Winter Soldier explained shortly, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms with casual menace. He seemed disinclined to sit down and inclined to loom. Also, that explained the glare.

Scott gave him an unconvincing smile and figured that he couldn’t do himself any harm by introducing himself to the last person in the room.

He leaned over so his head was closer to level with Yuu’s. At the same moment, he noticed Natasha smirking at him, looking unaccountably amused. He pretended not to notice. No telling what these weird superhero types would do.

Oh, wait. He was a weird superhero type.

“Hey, Yuu. What’s up?”

Yuu lifted his head and gave him a deeply suspicious look. Yeah, Scott had figured him for that sort of kid. Also, it was much easier to tell that he was a boy when you could see his face. Scott smiled, open and friendly - the kind of smile he’d give one of his little girl’s more timid friends.

“My name’s Scott,” he continued, tone casual and light without being patronizing. “I’m the new guy, so be nice, alright? Not good at this yet.” Yuu stared at him. “Code name’s Ant-Man. It’s not as cool as your dad’s.”

Yuu tilted his head slightly, visibly judging him. Finally, he said, voice high and curious, “Wha’ do you do?”

Scott almost missed Natasha’s sharp breath, but Rhodey’s smirk slipping off was a lot harder to ignore. What? What did he do this time? “I shrink,” he replied promptly, deciding to ignore the weird superheroes. He held his forefinger and thumb a millimeter apart for Yuu to see. “Real tiny. It’s surprisingly useful.” Yuu gave him an unimpressed look. Scott chuckled. “Yeah, okay, it’s kind of lame, as these things go.”

Yuu nodded. He wasn’t smiling, but he did look amused.

“What about your dad? What does he do?” Scott tried to ignore the way everyone was staring at them with undisguised interest, with a blatant lack of other conversations. Yuu might be an assassin’s kid, but he was still a kid. He couldn’t be that reticent.

Yuu looked at him, dark blue eyes strangely intense.

“Th’bear is strong,” Yuu told him at last, shrugging. “An’ he’s really good. Fas’ an’ smart.” He hesitated, and then finished, “HYDRA taugh’ him a lot, when we were still there.”

Scott came crashing back down to Earth and swallowed. Right. Winter Soldier’s son. Definitely not a normal kid. A lot scarier than that. “That so? Anything useful?”

Yuu snorted. “No,” he said candidly. He put a bit of hot dog he’d been rolling between his fingers into his mouth and munched on it.

“As near as we can figure, HYDRA made Yuu from Bucky’s genetic material, and perhaps a Japanese woman’s egg, and then grew him artificially,” Natasha explained to Scott, watching him carefully for a reaction.

There was no possible way he could hide anything from the Black Widow, so Scott didn’t even try to hide his sickened, slightly horrified look. HYDRA was sick.

“I really am in a different world, aren’t I?” he asked rhetorically, trying to dislodge his discomfort with humor. “Things like this don’t happen to normal people, you realize.”

Someone laughed; it was high and childish, and across from him, Scott saw his surprise reflected in Bucky’s face. Scott looked down, and Yuu was smirking up at him, dark eyes glittering with mirth.

“You funny,” Yuu told him, and then he slipped off the chair. “I drew a picture. Gonna go get it.”

Before anyone could react, Yuu scampered across the room and vanished out the door. The four remaining people stared after him for a moment.

“Well,” Rhodey said, after a long moment. “You’re apparently so good with kids that it’s a little scary.” He grinned at Scott, who was more than a little confused. “That’s the sort of thing you’re supposed to put on the application, new guy.”

“What?” Scott asked the air.

“Yuu doesn’t like anyone,” Natasha explained, contemplating him thoughtfully. “He certainly doesn’t laugh.”

“Clearly, he does,” Scott said without thinking, and then bit his tongue, and then had a small heart attack as Natasha laughed.

“I suppose he does.”

Bucky was scrutinizing Scott closely. Scott tried not to look like an untrustworthy thief. “I suppose I can allow you near Yuu,” he said at last, crossing the room with a sandwich Scott hadn’t noticed and sitting at the table with the rest of them. Scott grinned, relaxing slightly, and for a few moments, there was silence. Then Rhodey said offhandedly,

“Bet you five bucks he drew those weird flowers again.”

“Sucker’s bet,” Natasha replied instantly, and Scott countered,

“I’ll take you up on that.”

It was weird flowers. Scott felt that it was worth the money, anyway, to feel less like an outsider.

Still annoying, though.

 

 


	15. Don't Look Back

It was still quiet and it was still dark.

It was cold, and the bottle Allen was drinking from was powdery and almost empty.

...He missed his friends.

 

* * *

Lavi was being very, very quiet, hiding in the shadows as he watched his father drink.

 

Tony was, at the moment, drowning in guilt and searching for relief at the bottom of bottle after bottle. He wouldn’t find it, of course, but that didn’t for a moment keep him from trying.

“So stupid,” Tony moaned, fingers running through his hair to clutch at it. “Why did I keep the stupid staff? Why did I think that was a good idea? And why did I leave it alone for a moment? I was so careful with JARVIS!”

He collapsed into guilt-ridden shaking, and Lavi felt tears wet his eyes, fingers twitching convulsively as he bit his lip.

It was months later, two or three, and Tony still hadn’t forgiven himself for the Ultron incident. He was careful with Lavi in the daytime, or else Pepper would have taken Lavi away, but at night…

The Avengers had cut off all contact, and Pepper was barely speaking to him. Lavi was pretending not to know what had happened; he thought it was kinder.

“I ruined everything, I almost killed everyone, why am I allowed near people, fuck, why am I allowed near Lavi…”

Lavi chilled, and his breath hitched.

No. He wasn’t going to lose Tony.

For a quick moment, Lavi considered, thinking frantically. As he was, he couldn’t help; he wasn’t three, but he looked it and felt it, and that wouldn’t help now, not at all.

“I’m sorry, JARVIS. I’m so, so sorry…”

Tears were running down Lavi’s face, sparkling in the half-light if Tony cared to look, and it took real effort to keep any sound from escaping.

Pepper. Pepper could fix this. Pepper could fix anything.

Thus decided, Lavi wiped the tears away and scurried off to get his mother. She was in the guest room at the moment, refusing point-blank to share a bed with Tony.

He skipped the elevator, not wanting to talk to FRIDAY right now; he missed JARVIS, too.

Instead, he took the stairs to the floor above and silently opened the door, then crossed the room and climbed into Pepper’s bed.

Pepper stirred sleepily, and then lifted her arm so Lavi could snuggle into her, which he did. (After that first one, horrible nightmares had once again become a regular occurrence. Well, the break had been nice while it lasted.)

“Bad dream, sweetie?” she mumbled.

“Daddy sad,” Lavi told her, pressing a little closer in a childish gesture he could scarcely believe of himself – it just made him feel so safe.

He could almost feel her instant irritation and shrank back again, even though it wasn’t directed at him. “Daddy will get better.”

“Mommy.” Lavi forced himself to break away from her, pushing himself up to look at her better. She rolled over to meet his gaze, brow furrowed slightly and sleep-hazed eyes clearing. “Daddy’s sad. He’s drinkin’ an’ he’s scared. He tinks he shouldn’ be ‘llowed near me.”

Pepper started slightly, then crumpled and sighed, and rolled off the bed to stand up. Of course. No matter how mad she was, Pepper did love Tony.

“Okay, Lavi,” she said, quiet and reassuring. “You go ahead and go to sleep, okay? I’ll take care of Daddy.”

Lavi nodded, and no sooner had Pepper entered the elevator than he darted down the stairs as fast as his little legs would carry him, and he returned to the shadows just as Tony was collapsing into Pepper, clinging to her.

“I’m sorry, Pepper. I’m so sorry.”

“You should be,” Pepper said sharply. “Lavi saw you drinking.”

Tony made a little dying sound and murmured, over and over like a prayer, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

He was crying. Lavi was, too, silently, shoulders shaking and biting his lip to keep from making noise.

Watching him, Pepper let out an audible sigh and softened visibly. “I know you are, Tony. Come on, let’s get you to bed. We’ll talk in the morning.”

“I’m such a bad father,” Tony muttered self-recriminatingly into Pepper’s shoulder. “I knew I would be, Pep. I knew it. I’m no better than Dad. Why did you let me do this?”

That was the last thing Lavi heard before the elevator doors closed on their conversation, and he thought uselessly, No, you’re not. You’re the best father I’ve ever had.

He stared at the doors for a few minutes more, and then scurried up to his room to crawl into bed and curl up under the Avengers covers, pulling them over his head to hide his tears from FRIDAY.

Who wouldn’t ask about them anyway, even though JARVIS would have.

His breath hitched again and he wondered if Tony would be alright. He wondered if he’d ever see Tasha or Steve or Bruce again. He wondered if Rhodey would look Tony in the eye next time he visited.

Quietly, Lavi cried.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Lavi woke up early. He went to his playroom and dug out his panda, and he sat with it reading a book for a while, quietly flipping through the pages.

Then he closed it, set it aside, and hugged it to himself, green eyes staring at the floor, prickling with tears.

“I wish you were here, Panda,” he said softly. “I don’ know wha’ t’do. You always knew what to do.” Lavi hesitated, and then buried his face in his little panda’s fur. He hadn’t given it a name. He never would. “But maybe… M’sorry, panda. Bu’ I don’ know if I wanna be a Boo’man this time. No’ th’way I’m s’posed to be. I miss my friends too much. I love Mom ‘n Dad too much.” He squeezed his panda a little. “I’m sorry. I can’ do it. I won’. Sorry.” He hesitated, and then promised, “Still love you.”

He put the panda away, wiped his eyes, and scampered off to go play with Dummy. Tony was probably still asleep; he tended to sleep for quite a while, when Pepper made him.

Lavi didn’t make it as far as the lab, though; Pepper waylaid him on the way there, plucking him up off the ground in a manner that was, honestly, mildly embarrassing. Lavi looked up, green eyes shining with curiosity.

“Wha’?” he questioned.

Pepper gave him a faintly amused smile. “I was going to take you to work with me today,” she told him. She studied him for a moment, and then her smile faded. “Lavi, what’s wrong?”

Lavi ducked his head and shrugged, and Pepper sighed, dipped down to give him a kiss on the forehead, and lifted him up to sit on her shoulders, making him squeak with surprise.

‘Taking him to work’ equated taking Lavi to Pepper’s office a few floors down, so Lavi was pretty much okay with that. He wasn’t really inclined to tell her about Bookman, though. He almost felt like he was betraying Bookman by loving his parents so much, and at the same time, he felt like he was betraying his parents by missing Bookman.

He didn’t want to think about it.

Pepper’s office was a spacious room with her meticulously neat desk, a large window in the back, and a set of low shelves filled with miscellaneous books, largely dictionaries and encyclopedias for appearance’s sake. Between two of these was a short box filled with a few toys for Lavi.

Pepper set flailing Lavi down in the middle of the floor, and he grinned at her - a little dimmer than usual - and scrambled off to pick a book off the shelves while she crossed the room to her desk and got ready to tackle the electronic in-tray once again.

For a while, they stayed like that, working quietly. Lavi flicked absently through an encyclopedia, but it didn’t hold his interest, and he closed it and flipped to a random page several times while Pepper focused on her work.

Lavi started as the tap-tap of Pepper’s heels signalled her approach and glanced up inquisitively. She was giving him a wan smile, soft and fond, and he grinned at her with a bemused wave.

There was a tablet in her hand, and she gave it to him, surprising him. It was a little heavy, but nothing Lavi couldn’t handle, even like this.

“Here,” Pepper said quietly, crouching beside him, brushing comfortably against him. “You can use this to access the internet - look up anything you like. Like this…”

The ease with which she guided him through the use of the tablet led him to believe that she’d done this before, maybe, Lavi guessed, with Steve or Thor. He nodded along thoughtfully - if he didn’t think too hard about how it worked, it was certainly easy enough.

“Thanks, Mommy,” he said brightly, grinning up at her. She smiled back and ruffled his hair.

“Have fun, little monster, and learn lots.”

“I will!”

She smiled again and crossed back to her desk, returning to her holograms - Lavi wasn’t even going to touch those yet, but damn, they were cool. Instead, he looked down at the internet browser Pepper had opened for him and considered.

Anything at all, huh?

He pressed on the search bar and tapped in ‘Pepper Potts’, then chose the first result. He considered feeling guilty about doing this, but decided that Pepper was more than smart enough to expect this sort of thing out of him.

Virginia Potts is the Chief Executive Officer of Stark Industries. She gained the position in 2010, when Anthony Stark, son of Howard Stark and former CEO, turned it over for unknown reasons…

He hummed and read for a while before going back, then chose ‘News’ and started to look through the new set of results.

Why Did Pepper Potts Marry Tony Stark?

Tony Stark and Pepper Potts: As Happy As They Seem?

Pepper Potts Refuses to Comment on the Disappearance of Tony Stark’s Arc Reactor

Pepper Potts Says the Avengers are ‘Always Welcome at Stark Tower’

And further.

Pepper Potts Promoted to CEO

Has Tony Stark Gone Mad? Pepper Potts Refuses to Comment

Are Tony Stark and Pepper Potts Dating?

These weren’t very helpful, Lavi decided, frowning at the superficialness of the articles. He tapped the search bar again and typed instead, ‘Tony Stark’. Again, the first result.

Anthony Edward Stark, well-known genius and son of the late Howard Stark…

The article was miles longer than Pepper’s, and much less complimentary. An uncharacteristic scowl marred his face as he looked over what they had to say, and finally, he swiped the page away in disgust. He probably didn’t even need to look at the news articles for that one.

But still. There had been a lot of information there. A lot of stuff he hadn’t known. And he had to say…

He was really proud of his dad. He was stronger than a lot of people Lavi knew, and a better person. No matter what he might think.

Worry niggled at Lavi a little, too. You didn’t… didn’t make it out of that sort of thing unscathed. And he doubted that Tony was an exception to this.

But his dad could handle it, he decided. Dad could handle anything.

He passed the time like that, typing in random things and scrolling through the results.

Stark Industries.

Arc reactor.

Iron Man.

Avengers.

Battle of New York.

The Hulk.

Captain America.

After a moment of hesitation, Howard Stark.

Reading about Howard Stark… explained a lot about Tony. About his parenting, well, Lavi didn’t want to hear about that from anyone but Tony, but his policies... For a moment, an uncomplimentary sneer crossed Lavi’s face, and it didn’t suit his three-year-old’s features. Typical humans. Typical warmongers. Typical. It just… never stopped.

Atom bomb.

He read through the article, understanding less than he might have liked, until…

Nuclear weapons have been used twice in nuclear warfare, both times by the United States against Japan near the end of World War II.

Disturbing mention of two world fucking wars aside, Lavi was interested to know how Japan had recovered from the devastation of the Holy War. They must have found a way to counter the akuma virus, or the area would have been uninhabitable for years, maybe decades. And the population issue - he hadn’t even known there were any Japanese left, besides Kanda. Maybe there had been some refugees or something.

Japan.

He read through the entire article. Then he did it again. And then again, his eyes widening more with each run through.

No way.

There was absolutely no way.

“Mommy, can I talk to Daddy?”

Pepper started and looked over at him, eyes shining in curiosity. “Well, I suppose if it’s important…” she said slowly, glancing at the clock. “Tony should be up by now.”

Lavi nodded eagerly. “‘S impor’ant!”

She smiled at him, fond and indulgent. “Alright, then, Lavi. Be careful. FRIDAY, keep an eye on him, won’t you?”

“You got it, boss,” FRIDAY agreed.

Permission received, Lavi left the tablet on one of the shelves and scrambled off down to the elevator. Without waiting for him, FRIDAY closed the doors and raised him up to the floor with Tony’s lab, making Lavi giggle a little. Of course Tony was back in his lab. Even though Pepper had probably told him not to go.

Tony, as it happened, was still hungover. Awake, but hungover. Mindful of this, Lavi was not quite as loud as he wished he could be as he waved frantically to get Tony’s attention. FRIDAY aided his attempts by turning off Tony’s music, making him look up at frown, then chuckle as he spotted Lavi.

“Hey, little buddy,” greeted Tony, setting down his screwdriver and straightening up from where he was working. “What’s up?”

His voice sounded a little hoarse, but all in all, he sounded a lot better than he had the night before, and he was smiling. That was good.

Lavi scrambled over to him and tugged on his pant leg, and Tony agreeably lifted him onto his lap, getting grease smudges all over him. “Daddy, Daddy, you know ‘bout all the big cover-ups, righ’?”

Tony cocked an eyebrow, wincing slightly at Lavi’s volume. “Just about, yeah,” he confirmed slowly.

“Was there ever a Japan cover-up?”

To his credit, Tony genuinely considered that for a moment before he shook his head, wincing again. “Nope. What makes you ask that, little buddy?” He smoothed Lavi’s hair back, cocking an eyebrow at him.

Lavi’s eyes sparkled with delight. “Daddy… I’m from a differen’ Earth!”

And slowly, very slowly, Lavi watched that process in Tony’s mind, and Tony’s eyes lit up and he grinned, leaning forward. Anything negative that might’ve been in his mind was swept away by a wave of eagerness.

“May I ask what makes you say that?” he asked Lavi, fascination in his voice, bouncing the boy lightly. “Just for, you know, posterity’s sake.”

Lavi grinned. “Japan go’ wiped ou’ in th’ Edo period,” he explained brightly, waving his arms for emphasis. “The Millennium Earl killed them all, bu’! Tha’ didn’ happen here!”

“Um.” Whatever answer Tony had expected, that was not it. “That’s good?”

Lavi grinned and bobbed his head. “Daddy, I wanna find ou’ wha’s differen’!” He considered. “We need, um, history books, and notebooks, and…”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Tony grinned at his son, let him down, and stood up, still holding Lavi’s hand. If it was a little too bright and a little too hopeful, Lavi didn’t comment. “Books don’t buy themselves, you know!”

 

* * *

 

When Pepper returned to the common floors after work, several weeks after Lavi’s discovery, she paused to consider the large, empty recreation area. Then she let out a fond, but exasperated sigh.

“FRIDAY, how long has Tony been in his lab?” she asked the all-seeing AI.

“Twenty-six hours, ma’am.” Pepper smiled ruefully and started toward the elevator again. “Additionally, the little boss has been perusing a Bible and his notebook for four.”

Pepper paused to smile a little. As FRIDAY remained active for longer and longer, interacting with people, her personality had grown and started to take shape. She was seeming more like a person every day. Pepper wondered when she’d cross the line and become a person, as JARVIS had.

A moment later, she processed FRIDAY’s words and clapped her hand over her eyes, groaning softly. “He’s going to be just like his father,” she muttered. “Where is he?”

“In the library, ma’am.”

Pepper had a feeling that the library would become Lavi’s workshop in coming years. Perhaps they should consider expanding it, despite Tony’s hatred of paper books. “Thank you, FRIDAY.” She stepped into the elevator. “Can you take me to the workshop, please?”

“Of course, ma’am.”

The elevator started to move. Pepper waited patiently, resigned to her role as the bringer of order, and thought.

Tony, of course, had always been this way - in fact, he used to be much worse. With Lavi, though, it was a recent development, heralded mostly by the discovery of his origins. Come to think of it, Tony hadn’t told her how they’d figured that out.

Pepper had to admit, Lavi was… not what she’d expected when she and Tony decided to have a child. The intelligence, yes. The pranks, also a new development, certainly. The eidetic memory, not as much of a surprise as it could have been. Everything else? His past life, the nightmares, the not knowing- well, they’d been a shock. But in the end, Lavi would always be her baby.

Everything else was everything more. Pepper had given up on normal, after all, when she married a superhero. And she supposed that the ‘everything else’ was quite a lot of what made Lavi Lavi.

The elevator stopped, and Pepper stepped out into the blaring music. Within moments, she passed into his workshop and found him at a table, working on what appeared to be a mechanical hand. Pepper didn’t want to know.

FRIDAY turned the music down without being asked and Pepper called, “Tony!”

Tony looked up, almost adorably confused at the sudden disappearance of his music. After a moment, he grinned and waved, still holding on to his screwdriver. “Oh, hey, Pep!”

“How long has it been since you’ve eaten?” she inquired, giving him a stern look. He winced.

“Um.”

“About twenty hours, ma’am.”

“Thank you, FRIDAY.” Pepper spared a small smile for the ceiling before returning her gaze to a slightly guilty-looking Tony. “You’re coming with me. You can pick something to order in, and I’ll get Lavi from the library. And then you’re both taking a break.”

Tony perked up with interest, putting his tools down. “What’s Lavi doing in the library?” he asked with rabid curiosity.

“Reading a Bible, apparently.” Lavi hadn’t been especially forthcoming with his research, but it seemed to involve a lot of assorted theology.

“A Bible?”

Pepper shrugged, and the elevator doors closed behind them.

“A Bible?” Tony repeated, incredulous. “He’s, like. Three.” He sounded mournful, but it was playful.

“Maybe he wants to be a theologist.” Despite herself, Pepper was amused.

“Never!” Tony looked horrified.

The elevator stopped, and Pepper lightly shoved Tony off. “Go. Order food. FRIDAY, the library, please.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The door closed on Tony’s pout, and Pepper chuckled softly.

In the library, Lavi was sprawled across the floor. In one hand, he held a pen with clumsy fingers, wrist resting on his open notebook. His left hand was holding open a Bible, which he was scanning intently, vivid green eyes unwavering.

Pepper considered him for a moment, and then bodily lifted him up. Lavi yelped, hand slipping off the Bible, but he grabbed for his notebook and clutched it to his chest even as Pepper set him on her hip.

He frowned up at her, pouting childishly. “What you do tha’ for, Mommy?”

She smiled and bopped him gently on the nose, which wrinkled. “You, Lavi, shouldn’t pick up your father’s work habits. They’re not healthy.”

He pouted some more. “But Mommy.”

“No,” she said firmly, stepping on the elevator for the last time. “We are going to eat dinner as a family, and afterward, we are going to watch a movie. The book will still be there tomorrow.

Lavi pouted, but didn’t have time to object further, because the doors opened again and Pepper carried him through to the kitchen, where Tony was tapping his feet impatiently.

“Lavi!” Tony whined, almost as soon as he saw his son. Lavi cocked his head. “You don’t want to be a theologist, right? You want to be an engineer, right?” He was almost pouting.

Lavi blinked. “I don’ wanna be an engineer,” he said petulantly as Pepper sat him at the table.

“What do you mean, you don’t want to be an engineer?” Tony argued, and Lavi crossed his arms and huffed at him.

“I don’ wanna be an engineer,” Lavi repeated. Pepper chuckled at Tony’s put-out expression.

“Why not?”

“Don’ like math,” Lavi muttered huffily, plopping his notebook on the table and peering at it.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tony declared, swinging his arm around Lavi’s shoulders. “I will teach you the wonders of math, my son!”

“Histowy!” Lavi insisted, holding up the book in demonstration. He seemed very determined about this. Apparently he wasn’t exactly set on deviating from his previously chosen path.

“Leave him alone, Tony,” Pepper said, amused. “Plenty of time to convince him to be an engineer when he’s older.”

Tony pouted. “But Pepper…”

“Leave it, Tony.” She leaned over and took Lavi’s book, closing it against his pout. “And I didn’t bring you and Tony up so that you could keep working, Lavi.”

“But Mommy,” Lavi whined, kicking his feet. Tony grinned at him.

“Hey, if I have to take a break, then so do you.” He considered for a moment. “And don’t bother questioning Pepper. It won’t work.” Another pause for thought. Pepper kicked him. “Um. Don’t question your mother?”

Pepper smiled at Tony sweetly, and Lavi giggled.

“Why the Bible, anyway?” Tony asked Lavi, eyes flicking briefly to the little notebook. He hadn’t even known they owned a Bible. “The mention of God makes you wrinkle your nose.”

Lavi wrinkled his nose. Apparently it was a subconscious reaction. “Lookin’ for akuma,” he said reluctantly, frowning at it.

Something in his tone made Pepper look at him sharply, and Tony instantly became concerned because he’d missed it entirely. “Akuma?” Pepper asked.

Lavi started, looking up with wide eyes like a deer caught in the headlights. “Um.”

Pepper softened slightly, but her gaze was still stern. Tony was frowning. “Lavi, what are akuma?” Pepper repeated.

Lavi fidgeted for a moment, and then admitted quietly, two green eyes set on his book, “They, um. Weapons of massacre. The Millennium Earl used ‘em. Mos’ of my wowld’s eawly demon myths’re based on ‘em, bu’ no’ here.”

Tony’s eyes sharpened. “The same Millennium Earl that wiped out your Japan?”

It was possible that they might need to give up and push Lavi for answers, no matter how much they didn’t want to.

Pepper gave Tony a dagger-eyed look, and Tony winced. Okay, now he was in trouble. He probably should have told Pepper how they’d figured out that Lavi was from elsewhere.

Lavi nodded guiltily. “Mm-hm.”

Pepper saw this, sighed, and let up a little. “Have you found anything?”

Lavi brightened visibly and shook his head. “Nothin’ a’ all! So there pro’ally weren’ ever any. There shoulda been signs in the Bible, an’ Japanese, Hindi, A’rican, an’ Ancien’ Egy’tian myths, but there weren’ any.” At their slightly incredulous looks, he ducked his head and looked a little embarrassed, but also proud. “FRIDAY helped me check. An’ Bookman taugh’ me ‘bout where t’look ‘fore we joined the Order.”

A small smile flashed across Pepper’s face, and Tony couldn’t agree more. Lavi hardly ever mentioned anyone from before. “Who’s Bookman?” Pepper asked gently. (Later, Tony would curse himself for passing over the mention of an Order entirely.)

Lavi started again, like he hadn’t meant to say that. Then he looked up, took in their interested expressions… and he smiled, broad and bright.

 


	16. Ingrained Fears

The house was big. Or, well, it seemed big, but maybe Allen was just tiny.

Allen sniffled and sat on his heels so he could wipe his tears away, stifling whimpers. He was hungry, and he didn’t need to be a doctor to know that he was worryingly thin. Even crawling took a lot of effort.

And he was lonely. He missed his friends - he missed Lavi’s bright smile, and Lenalee’s hugs, and even Kanda’s grouchy scowl. He missed Cross, and Komui, and Johnny and Link, Reever, Jerry, and he missed Ma-

Abruptly, he rocked forward again, catching himself with his hand, his right one. It was hard to crawl with only one hand, but he couldn’t move his left for the life of him, so he had to lean on his right and scoot his legs forward. His left hand scraped along the ground, stiff and useless.

The window wasn’t far away. He crawled awkwardly over there and then sat back again. His wide silver eyes looked up and out the window, where he could see the tops of trees, and the tempting, clear blue sky, and the birds flying free above them…

But he knew what was waiting out there for a boy like him, with a deformed arm and a strange face. It wasn’t any better than what Marlisa had for him here.

Still, he stayed in place, watching the birds’ flapping wings and the drifting clouds, and listening to the sounds of children placing, out of sight.

Were his friends out there, too, somewhere? Somewhere, was Lavi playing games with new friends? Was Kanda watching a flower grow in a new pot? Was Lenalee running and jumping and beaming up at a kindly smiling mother?

He wanted so badly to be with them.

And he hoped that wherever they were, they were okay. (He refused to believe that he was alone.)

“What are you doing in the middle of the floor? Get out of my sight, you little brat!”

A bolt of fear leapt into Allen’s throat, and he nearly fell over himself scrambling to crawl away. She hadn’t kicked him yet, but she would.

He knew she would.

 

* * *

 

“Lenalee, this is Andrew. He is allowed to hold you. I trust him, and you can too.”

Lenalee looked up at Andrew and tilted her head, brown eyes studying him intently. The first thing she noticed was his surprise, then his confusion, and finally his comprehension before he looked down at her and smiled.

“It’s good to meet you, Lenalee. You look just like your mother.”

Lenalee smiled brightly and held her hand out. “Hi, Andwew!” She saw surprise flicker across his face again before he shook her hand, grip light and gentle.

“How old are you, Lenalee?” he asked. It seemed like an innocent question, but Lenalee’s smile nearly flickered; she knew she wasn’t acting quite right, but she didn’t know how a year-and-a-half old girl was supposed to act, and she was doing the best she could.

“One an’ haf!” she chirped, smiling at him. He smiled, too, but it was distracted. Melinda was frowning; she’d noticed, too.

“You’re almost a big girl now,” he commented, letting none of his suspicion pass his voice - it was all in his eyes. “Soon your mother won’t be able to pick you up.”

Lenalee giggled. Now that was just silly. Without thinking, she told him so.

Melinda hadn’t spoken yet, Lenalee noticed, and her amusement faded away into concern. She glanced at her mother, who was still staring at Andrew, as if trying to will him into speaking his mind.

“I suppose I am.” Andrew straightened up and looked at Melinda thoughtfully, and then apparently gave in. “So who’s the lucky man?”

Lenalee looked up in time to see Melinda’s eyes flash with a mixture of anger and pain. “No one. It was a failure of the pill. As it stands, Lenalee is my daughter, and mine alone.”

...Lenalee kept forgetting that she had been an accident.

“Ah. So that’s how it is.” Andrew looked back at Lenalee, who tried her best not to look like a reborn exorcist who’d seen more dead bodies than most people ever did. She wasn’t sure how successful she was. “Well, Lenalee, let’s see if you and I together can get your mother to relax a little, hm?”

Lenalee giggled and nodded eagerly. Now that’d be a trick, and a sight to see.

In the car, the atmosphere returned to its previous tension. Lenalee herself was strapped into a brand new child’s seat, and she kicked her feet and fiddled with the belt restlessly, but didn’t try to get out.

Left to their own devices, Andrew and Melinda let the awkward silence linger, so Lenalee took matters into her own hands.

“Whewe we go?” she asked.

“We’re going to Maui,” Melinda informed her.

“Whewe dat?” It was hard to chatter when you could barely talk. Andrew was looking at her again, thoughtful and pensive, frowning deeply, and Lenalee felt sort of like crying. Was it really that obvious?

“It’s in Hawaii, in the Pacific Ocean.” Melinda was giving her a tolerant smile; she was relaxing. Possibly she hadn’t noticed Andrew’s growing suspicion.

“What like?”

“It’s difficult to explain, but you’ll like it. There are lots of people, and I’ll take you to play in the water.”

Lenalee clapped her hands happily. “Yay!” She’d been to lots of places before, but not Hawaii; America had never been her favorite place. It had too many akuma.

The silence returned. Lenalee wasn’t going to stand for it.

“What Andwew do?” she asked. It was a perfectly normal question.

“He’s a scientist,” Melinda answered, but even she’d noticed the oddity of a one year old asking this particular question; she’d stiffened. Lenalee hid a cringe.

“Like Fizz?” she asked, pretending as hard as she could that everything was normal.

“Yes, like Fitz.”

Lenalee wanted to know what Andrew studied, but they were suspicious enough as it was. Luckily, Andrew told her anyway.

“I learn about people’s minds,” Andrew said, glancing once more in the rearview mirror. “And I help them get better if they’re feeling sad.”

...Okay. That was bad.

Lenalee fell silent for a few long moments before continuing, with false cheer, “How to place?” There was no way she was going to try and say ‘Maui’, but she really, really needed to change the subject.

Melinda relaxed, but her gaze lingered on the mirror. “By plane. It’s like the Helicarrier. You’ll love it.”

Lenalee clapped her hands. “Yay!”

* * *

Lenalee counted herself lucky that Andrew didn’t pursue his suspicions, and was quickly distracted by a surprise visit to a toy store, where Melinda got her a few coloring books and a little stuffed rabbit, which she didn’t let go of the whole way to the airport.

The airplane was a little crowded, and it didn’t seem that safe to her, but she figured that she couldn’t decide anything about it if she didn’t know how it worked, so she settled down and contented herself with hugging the heck out of her new rabbit.

The plane trip was long, but she didn’t remember most of it; she fell asleep leaning on Melinda, and Melinda wrapped an arm around her shoulders, still talking quietly to Andrew, more relaxed than Lenalee remembered seeing her.

The rest of the trip went just the same. The odd looks and probing questions from Andrew never stopped, at least not unless Melinda started giving them both unreadable looks, but he didn’t speak to her about it directly, so Lenalee was okay.

Then Melinda got a call that her father had been in an accident, and Lenalee knew that even if their vacation would technically continue, Melinda’s relaxation was over.

Playtime had passed for her mother.

* * *

 

Melinda May was a woman on a mission.

Being on leave had changed no part of Melinda’s personality, and she didn’t like to remain idle, even when attempting civilian life. So, in the later stages of her father’s recovery, she assigned herself a mission:

Find out what was different about Lenalee May.

Melinda was not, in fact, blind, deaf, or dumb. She knew that Lenalee was by no means a normal child. But she had never had the luxury of time before - time to focus, to decode, to understand. Since it didn’t seem to be hurting Lenalee, she hadn’t tried.

Now that she did have that luxury, however, she couldn’t possibly forget it. It was for this reason that she and her father were currently in the park, watching Lenalee play in the sandbox.

When she was by herself, Lenalee seemed to be an approximately normal girl, maybe a little advanced for her age - approaching two years old now. She was humming to herself as she shoveled sand around aimlessly, half-burying her legs.

Yes, Melinda was aware that she was watching Lenalee far too intently. Her father didn’t have to give her that amused look.

As Melinda watched, two other children approached the sandbox, and Lenalee looked up, smiled brightly, and shifted aside without being asked.

One of the children, a boy, was around three, the other perhaps four, a girl. Immediately, most of Lenalee’s attention was on them, friendly and engaging. And therein lay the problem.

When interacting with others, Lenalee behaved like a much older child, at least six or seven - not less than two.

“So, is this what’s been bothering you your whole visit?”

William May was entirely too perceptive.

Melinda nodded, not taking her eyes off Lenalee, who was helping the three-year-old little boy build a pile of sand. After a moment, she added reluctantly, “I wanted to know if you… noticed anything about her.”

Lenalee stood up, brushed sand off her legs and dress, and waved cheerfully at the other two children before scurrying off to a patch of daisies and mud. William disregarded Melinda’s statement and studied her thoughtfully.

“What are you afraid of?” he asked her at last, looking curious. “Her turning out like her father?”

Melinda’s lips thinned. “I just want to see if her development is normal,” she said tightly.

William disregarded this, too. “Are you afraid of her ending up like you? Cynical and scarred?”

Melinda’s jaw clenched. William’s gaze, when she looked, was nonjudgemental but steady. Before she could answer - thought what she would have said, she had no idea - Lenalee appeared, offering up a small, tangled mat of daisies and flower stems.

“Mommy!” she chirped, forcibly drawing Melinda’s attention. Melinda looked down, cocking an eyebrow expectantly. Lenalee beamed at her. “Flow’rs fo you!”

The tension broke, and Melinda surrendered a small smile as she took the mat of daisies. “Thank you, Lenalee. They’re very pretty.” She reached out and bopped Lenalee gently on the nose, making her giggle. “Just like you.”

“On head!” Lenalee insisted, looking up at her with sparkling, expectant brown eyes.

She distinctly heard a low chuckle from beside her, and she smiled wryly as she placed the flower mass on her head.

“Pre’ty, Mommy!” Lenalee assured her, and then scampered off again, this time to one of the slides.

For a few minutes after Lenalee left, neither Melinda nor William spoke. Lenalee shrieked happily as she slid down the spiral blue slide, and then scrambled to scale it again.

“No,” William said finally, making Melinda look at him. “I’ve never seen a child like your daughter.” He shook his head slowly, eyes on Lenalee. “And no. You were never like this.”

Melinda didn’t know whether she found that comforting or not. “Anything more specific?”

William glanced at her and offered a humorous smile. “You know, if I hadn’t been expecting this, I never would have noticed.” He looked back at Lenalee and Melinda bit down an exasperated sigh. Of course. Her father knew her too well. “Did you realize that Lenalee always watches the news when it is on? But she pretends to play.”

Melinda stilled. “No. I didn’t.”

“She rarely complains,” William continued. Melinda had noticed that. “Never throws fits. She doesn’t even ask any especially strange questions.” He shrugged. “I don’t pretend to make anything of it, Melinda, but-” He chuckled ruefully. “You have a very unusual little girl.”

“I suppose I do,” Melinda murmured, mind racing.

 

* * *

 

On their way back to her father’s house, Lenalee fiddled with her seatbelt and asked, “Mommy, when ca’ we see Daisy ‘gain?”

Melinda’s hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel; she hadn’t yet told Lenalee how reluctant she was to return. “I don’t know, baby girl.”

“Why don’ you talk t’Daisy anymowe?”

Melinda almost flinched. One glance told her that William was disinclined to help her, so she was on her own. She took a deep breath.

“Daisy isn’t the same as she used to be, baby girl. She’s a good woman and an excellent agent, but she isn’t always… safe, for those around her.”

A glance told her that Lenalee was staring out the window, but was otherwise ominously still. “Becau’ of ‘er powers?” Lenalee asked.

“Powers are difficult to handle,” Melinda explained, struggling a little and deeply uncomfortable. “Skye… doesn’t mean it, but if she loses control, she could hurt herself or others. And I will never let you get hurt, Lenalee.”

Lenalee barely reacted to the last statement, still staring out the window at the scenery passing by. “An’ wha’ if I had powers, Mommy?”

It clicked.

Melinda tensed visibly, and when she next spoke, it was much more forceful than she intended.

“You will always be my daughter, baby girl.”

Lenalee didn’t look reassured. If Melinda hadn’t been looking, she never would have noticed.

 

* * *

 

That night, at her father’s house, Melinda pulled her half-asleep daughter closer to her chest and asked quietly,

“So, what is it? Memory transfer? Superhuman intelligence? Reincarnation? Possession?”

She could feel the exact moment when Lenalee processed her words. She tensed in Melinda’s arms, and then, without warning, ripped herself away and tumbled off the bed to the ground, and then turned, looking at Melinda with wide, frightened eyes.

Melinda sat up, not smiling. Against her instincts, she kept herself still as Lenalee’s breathing picked up and her eyes filled with tears. She hated to do this, she really did, but this was important, and when Melinda had said she wouldn’t let anything hurt her daughter, she meant it.

“Lenalee,” Melinda said firmly, tense and forcibly calm. “I need you to tell me what is going on.”

Lenalee’s breath hitched, and tears started to pour down her face. She scooted back, across the floor and away from Melinda.

But she didn’t try to run.

Don’t pick her up, Melinda told herself harshly. If you calm her down now, you’ll never find out what’s wrong, and then you can’t do anything for her.

“Lenalee, what are you not telling me? Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t a normal child?”

Ohh, crap. Please… don’t… cry.

“You don’ like people wit power!” Lenalee tried to snap back. Her face was angry, her eyes burned, but the effect was ruined by the streaks of flowing tears. “Un… un… no’ nowmal people! You don’ like ‘em, Mommy!”

Melinda’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth. Lenalee steamrollered right over her, chest shaking with sobs and barely coherent.

“Y-you scawed of ‘em, and I… I don’ wan’... You to… An’ SHIEL’...” Lenalee’s words were falling over each other now, and Melinda had to hold herself still just to keep from shaking.

How long had Lenalee been this scared? How long had Lenalee been holding this in? And how badly had Melinda messed up?

Lenalee apparently gave up on her previous train of thought and took a deep breath, let it out, visibly kept herself from sobbing again, and asked, “Woul’ you kill Daisy?”

The question chilled Melinda to the bone. An average two-year-old was, at worst, vaguely acquainted with the concept of death, certainly never so intimately as to wonder if someone they knew would… “No. Of course not, Lenalee.”

Lenalee seemed monumentally dissatisfied with this answer, and a little hysterical again. Melinda’s worry mounted. “Mommy, if you though’ Daisy was a tw… thw… bad, would you kill ‘er? ‘Cause she was uncon- un-” Lenalee’s nose wrinkled in frustration and distress, and she was crying again. “F-fwee? Mommy, would you? ‘Cause dey… dey tol’ you t-to? Would you… If I…”

Melinda’s heart froze, and she felt sick, as soon as she understood. No, never. Not Lenalee. Not for anything.

Lenalee was crying too hard to speak now, shaking her head at nothing, taking in choked, gasping breaths, and Melinda finally, finally, went and picked her up, rocking and soothing her with murmured reassurances. When Lenalee’s sobs and then her whimpers died down, Melinda said, as firmly as her racing heart could support,

“Lenalee, you are my most important things, and that won’t change.”

Lenalee’s breath hitched slightly, and she didn’t move from where her face was pressed into Melinda’s shoulder.

Melinda waited. Lenalee didn’t fall asleep, but neither did she move. Eventually, Melinda asked again,

“What was it? Memory transfer?” Lenalee shook her head mutely. “Superhuman intelligence?” Again, she shook her head. “Reincarnation?”

Lenalee nodded. Melinda closed her eyes.

“Oh, Lenalee,” she said, almost too quiet to be heard, still swaying gently. “You should have told me.”

Lenalee was silent for a while longer, and if it weren’t for her shaky breaths, Melinda would have thought she’d fallen asleep. When she spoke, it was so sudden that it made Melinda start.

“I was born i’ China,” she said softly, still not looking up, curled and vulnerable, eyes closed. “Bu’ I gwew up i’ Englan’. I ha’ a big bwother, an’... an’ lotsa fwiends.” Her fist tightened in Melinda’s nightshirt. “Bu’ I don’ wanna leave you. I don’ wanna.” Her breath hitched again, and tension heightened the pitch of her voice. “An’ I scawed, ‘cause… I go’ killed. By people who sai’ I was dane… bad.”

Melinda went rigid, her heartbeat pounding in her ears, and tried hard to listen for anything, anything more Lenalee might have to say about that.

Lenalee seemed to have talked herself out, though, and exhausted herself to boot, and within a few minutes, Melinda felt her relax, falling asleep in her arms.

By contrast, Melinda didn’t go to sleep for the rest of the night. Her father found her the next morning, researching reincarnation and finding exactly nothing useful.

He sent her to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tacked some material onto the beginning of this chapter because I wasn't real happy with it, so I'd appreciate it if you went and checked that out.


	17. Bad Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! So I added some material onto the beginning of the last chapter. You don't necessarily HAVE to read it, but it'd be nice if you did. Most particularly, there is now an Allen bit.

Allen was curled up in a corner today, head buried in his knees as he tried to hide from Marlisa’s anger. There was no way the table would hide him forever, but maybe it could delay the inevitable.

As he’d expected and dreaded, Marlisa’s anger had only festered and grown with time, and he was scared. He was really scared. He knew that it was going to get worse, it couldn’t do anything else, and he couldn’t get away. He wanted to, but he couldn’t.

Allen was hiding because, in his latest attempt to walk, he’d accidentally knocked down a delicate wineglass, which had, naturally, shattered all over the floor. Now there was a cut on his right arm, and alcohol soaked into his pants, and Marlisa was furious.

He shrank back and curled up tighter as her shadow approached, but there really wasn’t any point; she still reached and seized him by his arms, and he cried out in pain and fear, tears filling his eyes and spilling down his cheeks.

“I can’t believe you! Can’t you do anything right? Are you really trying to make things worse than they already are? Breaking things! Screaming all hours of the night! Spilling all over the floor, making messes, I can’t turn my back for five minutes!”

Allen cowered from her anger, struggling to get free, even if it meant falling down. Listening to people scream was worse, it had always been worse, and he was scared, because she was so mad, and he could smell the wine on her breath.

He tried not to listen as she carried him off elsewhere in the house, but he still caught phrases - brat, useless, infuriating, shouldn’t have been born, freak.

They were all familiar and he hated all of them, and he cried and squirmed.

“Let’s see you make a mess in here,” Marlisa said, with dark satisfaction, and before Allen knew it, he’d been shoved in something small, and then the light disappeared.

Allen stopped short for a moment, trying to figure out what had happened, eyes wide and frightened. He scooted back, and hit something, which fell over and shattered, making him flinch again. Liquid soaked into his pants and shirt, and the smell of wine filled… whatever he was in.

A terrified whimper escaped him; it was dark in here, too dark, and now there was sharp glass scattered around. He reached forward with his right hand and hit something; a door.

Vaguely, Allen recalled seeing a cabinet in the kitchen, a liquor cabinet full of wine bottles. His eyes went wide, and then they filled with tears all over again.

He didn’t care - screams and wails cascaded from his mouth, and he pushed against the cabinet door with everything he had. Sharp glass poked at him but made only shallow cuts, and his palm was flat against the door, shoving desperately. Blood trickled down to mix with the wine at the bottom of the cabinet.

But he wasn’t. He wasn’t strong enough, he was too little, he was too useless like this, and he couldn’t get out, he needed help, please, from anyone, anyone at all.

He wanted out. He wanted out. He wanted out!

He screamed, and he pounded on the door with the palm of his hand, but no one came.

Eventually, Allen exhausted himself, and fell asleep against the door, eyes rimmed red and tear tracks down his face, and he dreamed of Mana.

He used to like those dreams.

 

* * *

The puzzle had a hundred pieces, ten by ten. The picture was of a playground by a forest, with bright colors and bold lines. It wasn’t hard, but it did take a while, and it was nice to be able to sit down and do something with his parents.

 

Especially with the looks that Tony had been giving him lately. He didn’t need to worry as much as he did.

Tony was on his left, and Pepper on his right. Lavi felt warm and content, a small smile stretching across his face as he reached for a red piece, most likely part of the slide.

Lavi was plopped on his stomach, and so was Pepper, but Tony was kneeling, leaning way over at a surely uncomfortable angle, a furrow of concentration in his brow as he squinted at a particularly stubborn sky piece.

“So, little buddy.” Lavi’s head snapped up, eyes wide and smile gone, at Tony’s tone. Tony smiled reassuringly, but his eyes were serious. Slowly, Lavi relaxed, but the smile didn’t come back, and Pepper gave Tony a reproachful look for startling him. “You know that your mom and I are worried about you, right?”

Lavi nodded slowly. Tony decided to cut straight to the point and dropped down to look at Lavi seriously.

“Can you talk about it?”

Lavi looked back down to the puzzle and picked up a grass piece. He turned it over in his fingers and nodded again, silent.

Pepper reached to hug him with one arm. “Take your time,” she told him, soft but firm.

Lavi shrugged. He hadn’t placed the piece yet. “What you wanna know?”

Tony’s face twisted into a strange half-smile, half-grimace. “How bad?”

“Bad,” Lavi answered softly. He put the piece down and picked up another, which he put into place, nestled in the lower-left corner.

“Great,” Tony sighed. He reached out and ruffled Lavi’s hair, to a soft sound of protest. “You’re bad for my heart, kiddo.”

Lavi wrinkled his nose at him. Pepper smacked Tony gently and smiled down at Lavi, who peeked up at her hesitantly through too-long bangs. “Go ahead, Lavi. Let’s start with the Millennium Earl; all we know about him is that he had weapons called akuma, and…” She grimaced. “Destroyed your Japan.”

Lavi nodded hesitantly. “The Earl was the leader of a family called the family of Noah.” Tony cocked an eyebrow at him. Lavi nodded again, solemn. “The Noah were a group of superhumans tha’ wanted t’kill all the normal humans, an’ they were reborn when they were killed. They did a lot of other stuff, too, but it don’ matter anymore. They were in charge of the akuma.”

“And people just let this happen?” Tony asked, frowning. He didn’t like what talking about this was doing to Lavi; his eyes were distant and vague, and his voice had taken on a factual, reciting-from-memory tone. Also, the casual mention of the attempted end of all humanity was disconcerting.

Lavi shrugged. “They didn’ know. The Order took care of it.”

...Awesome. Tony wasn’t going to touch that right now.

“And that!” Tony nodded decisively. “The Order. What’s that?”

Lavi hesitated, and then said, looking  down at the carpet and putting down his piece of forest, “Um… Akuma can only be destroyed by one thing, ‘kay? There’s a thing called Innocence, an’ it chose people.” He held out one of his wrists, prompting Pepper to take it and rub her thumb over the stigmata, as she’d done so many times before. “It formed weapons. The people it chose ‘came exorcists, an’ the Black Order had them figh’ akuma.” He retracted his arm and tucked it under himself. “Mine’s in my blood, but it hasn’ activa’ed yet, so I can’ use it.”

Tony gave him a long, considering look, and then smiled faintly. “Does that mean you’re going to sprout a weapon at some point?”

Lavi started slightly, and then peeked up at him and grinned a little. “Yeah! A hammer. My hammer.” He looked very proud, and Pepper sighed.

“That’s the last thing you need,” she said long-sufferingly. Lavi grinned at her. She smiled wearily and asked, “So you were an exorcist? What did that mean?”

Lavi’s smile vanished; that was one of the earlier bad signs, Tony later figured.

“I fough’ akuma,” Lavi repeated, and this time his eyes, vivid green and serious, were focused on them, very focused. “Me an’ Allen, an’ Yuu an’ Lenalee.”

They were all about Lavi’s age, Tony recalled. Or rather, what his age had been at the time. He wondered what Lavi would look like when he was twenty years old.

“How dangerous was that?” Pepper asked, concerned, leaning down so she was level with Lavi’s eyes. Lavi held her gaze, looking faintly startled, and then, oddly enough, guilty. Tony wasn’t liking this.

Then the emotion vanished, and Lavi looked away, placing three pieces of the puzzle before he finally answered, in a voice that was painfully indifferent. “Exorcists had a turnover rate of sixty percen’ over five years, an’ ninety percen’ over ten.”

Indifferent though his voice was, Lavi’s eyes were filled with tears and his shoulders were trembling slightly, and Tony wanted nothing more than to take him away and hide him from everything that was cruel, the boy’s own memories included.

Pepper sat up and shifted so that she could place Lavi in her lap, and ran her fingers through his hair, quiet but steady. Lavi leaned slightly into the touch, but kept his eyes on the half-finished puzzle.

“God damn,” Tony muttered quietly, ignoring Pepper’s look of reprimand. He wasn’t even sure what to say to a stat like that, and his mind was twisting on itself trying to figure out how to react to Lavi getting into so much danger that it actually had killed him in the end, but he settled for, “How many of you were there?”

Lavi shrugged again. “Didn’ stay th’same for long. People died. People came.” He hesitated, then tacked on, “Fifteen to twenty, mos’ of the time.”

Tony stilled. “For the whole world?” he asked slowly.

Lavi didn’t look at him, but he shrugged. That was as good as a confirmation for Tony, and for a moment, he had to close his eyes so he didn’t throw up or faint or something stupid like that.

Those were… beyond stupid odds. He wouldn’t let Steve take them, forget Lavi, would take his friends and his family and bring them all into outer space or a bunker deep underground before he put that pressure on someone.

God, this kid was going to give him a panic attack, and he was pretty sure Lavi was sugarcoating so much Tony’d get cavities from this on top of everything else.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw that Pepper had gone still as well, eyes wide and death pale. Lavi had scooted forward and was meticulously placing piece after piece, shaking slightly but not making a sound.

“Are you okay?” Tony asked, and he didn’t like the desperation in his voice, not at all, but he was worried, damn it, and only getting more so with every word Lavi said.

Lavi paused, and then he shrugged again. Didn’t look up, either.

Damn it, he was going to wrap his son in bubble wrap and bundle him away where Tony could keep an eye on him forever. And maybe he should look into that psychologist again, because damn it, whatever he might say, Lavi needed help, more than Tony or Pepper could provide. And he was certain that Lavi wasn’t done.

Pepper swallowed, and then resumed stroking Lavi’s hair, hand shaky. “What about as a Bookman?” she asked. “You didn’t talk much about that.”

Lavi frowned, but the distant look cleared away for now, and it was more thoughtful now. “Um, Gramps foun’ me when I was ‘bout six, an’ we wen’ aroun’ an’ recorded… secret history, I guess.” He grinned. It was weak, but honest, and Tony grinned back, relieved. “It was a lotta fun.” Then it dropped away, and Tony almost made a dying sound but didn’t because that wouldn’t help anything, and certainly wouldn’t keep whatever Lavi said next from being true. “Mos’ly wars an’ genocide.”

...Okay, so just how shitty was this other world, then? Seriously. Tony’s brain was falling over itself trying to figure out all the problems Lavi might have and how to fix them and also possibly travel to this other world so he could destroy everything, because clearly it would only be for the best.

“We were supposed to take a neutral stance,” Lavi continued, absent in a less disturbing way than when he’d been talking about the Order. Which Tony would have to find out more about, and he was dreading that with everything he had. “Bookman had me change my name every time.” He giggled softly. “I kinda messed tha’ up.”

...Well, at least that was strange and a little disturbing as opposed to dangerous and a lot disturbing. But it did raise alarming questions about how Lavi regarded his name now.

“Change your name?” Pepper asked, before Tony could. Lavi nodded.

“Yeah. My name an’ my personality. Lavi was my forty-ninth.” He looked up at their expressions - Tony knew his had dropped abruptly, just like his poor, overwhelmed heart - and added quickly, “Bu’ my favorite! ‘Cause the persona was mos’ly mine, an’ I had tha’ name at the Order.” He smiled a little. “An’ tha’ was when i made my first friends.”

Right. The other exorcists his age. Tony felt like killing something. Bookman, maybe. But then Lavi would be sad. Also, Lavi’s earlier behavior seemed to indicate that the Order contained mostly negative memories, not to mention the danger when he’d been there. But now he was speaking of it fondly.

Tony’s head hurt. That took a lot. This ‘father’ thing was harder than anticipated.

“How old were you at the Order?” Pepper asked. Her eyes were closed, her breathing even, and her hand had steadied.

All of this was artificial, of course, but her ability to keep calm under pressure was one of Tony’s very favorite things about her.

“Sixteen when I join,” Lavi answered instantly. “An’ twenty when we won.”

...They’d won? Tony’s mind went back to the nightmare. Right, of course, they’d won, despite the stupid odds that were probably even worse than he knew. And then what sounded like a subgroup of the Order had killed Lavi in cold fucking blood.

Tony made a mental note to examine SHIELD again. Just in case. He wouldn’t let these things happen, nothing was going to happen to Lavi this time. Not over Tony’s dead, cooling corpse.

“And what was the Order like?” Pepper continued. Her voice was a little breathy this time, cut short with anticipation and dread. Lavi hadn’t looked at either of them in a while; he was tense, and the puzzle was being completed in record time despite Tony and Pepper having given up on it completely.

Lavi didn’t answer, and he’d placed three, four, five, eight pieces before Tony realized just how badly he didn’t want to.

Tony had to close his eyes again. It got worse. Fuck, it got worse. “Is there anything you can say that’s going to make this any less likely to make me want to bash my head against the wall?”

Lavi giggled; it was soft and brief, but genuine, and Tony huffed, relaxing slightly, just slightly.

“I was a Bookman,” Lavi told him, apparently more than happy to take him up on that offer. “So Central didn’ have any say over me, long as I was actin’ as one, ‘kay? So I was shielded from the worst of it.”

A very small part of Tony’s mind made a mental note of that. So Bookman were exempt from authority figures?

The rest was trying to stem the flood of panic, and it was a little like a hay bale trying to stop the ocean. It just broke apart and got washed away.

Lavi fidgeted for a bit, and placed five more pieces, bringing the puzzle to completion before he crawled further into Pepper’s lap and curled up, setting his head against her stomach, and refused to open his eyes until he finally spoke, and then they were horrible and hazy again.

“All the exorcists in the world were in European Branch,” Lavi said at last. “An’ everyone knew it, ‘kay? An’ if we lost, everyone died.” He buried his face in his arms. His voice became muffled; it was just as well, because Tony couldn’t hide the horror in his eyes. “But some of the exorcists, they didn’ wanna figh’. They go’ scared like anyone else. Only…”

His breath hitched, and he sounded like he was going to cry now. Pepper picked him up and shushed him, but Lavi seemed determined to finish. Pepper didn’t try to stop him, but she didn’t let him down from her arms either.

“It didn’ matter. Didn’ matter if they were scared, if they were nine or if they were blind or if they couldn’ walk; Central wasn’ gonna le’ them go. Exorcists weren’ people to them. They weren’, an’ it showed. You shoulda seen the stuff they did to Lenalee an’ Yuu. It was bad.”

Tony could imagine, but then again, maybe it was much worse than he thought. Either way, he knew that that was the first time this whole conversation that Lavi hadn’t dumped a whole bowlful of sugar on his words, and Tony honest-to-God might puke if Lavi went on like that much longer.

Lavi had been in that place, and he hadn’t come out okay, shielded from the worst or not. But he wasn’t going back, and God, that was the only thing keeping Tony sane right now.

Pepper’s eyes were shining, and there were tiny hiccups in her breath. Most likely when they were alone, she’d start crying, and hell, Tony was probably going to join her.

Lavi might not be the boy they’d expected, the boy they’d tried for, but he was theirs, and if Tony couldn’t go back and stop the damage from being done, at least he could do his level best to heal what was left behind.

“But you were okay,” Tony said, as much a plea as a question, with noticeable strain in his voice.

Lavi winced. “Um. Sorta?”

“Lavi.”

Lavi ducked his head again, but Tony could see half his face now, his son’s green eye on him, soft and miserable. “I still had to figh’,” he said quietly. “An’ the others, they were raised in it, so they didn’ know how messed up it was.” His breath hitched, and his eyes filled with tears, which he rubbed at with one chubby fist. “Bu’ I did. An’ it was.” He hiccuped miserably. “It was messed up.”

Once the tears started, they didn’t stop, and Lavi cried quietly. Pepper rocked him gently, and when it looked like she was close to breaking down herself, Tony took him and rubbed his back and murmured quiet nonsense until Lavi stopped shaking, clinging to his shirt with short little fingers.

“Are you okay now?” he asked quietly.

Lavi’s breath hitched again. “I… maybe? I dunno.” God, the poor kid still sounded miserable. “Can we stop talkin’ ‘bout this?”

“Sure thing, little buddy,” Tony said, and it was the hardest one he’d ever pulled off, but he grinned at Lavi.

He and Pepper, they could cry later.

And he’d have to think of something to do for Lavi, to take all their minds off this. Maybe he could find an amusement park nearby. He’d bet Lavi had never been to an amusement park before.

 


	18. Play Day

Marlisa had guests over, and Allen was locked in his room, which was, he would readily admit, far preferable to the cabinet, which he’d come to hate so much he couldn’t even look at it without flinching.

It was scary here. Sure, it wasn’t the worst place Allen had ever been in, not by a long shot, but he understood well how much more things hurt as a child, and this was _scary,_ and it hurt a lot.

He’d missed his friends so hard and for so long that he was starting to feel numb to it. He was… what, eight months old, maybe? And it felt like an eternity.

He wasn’t going to be able to walk. That was becoming clear. He wasn’t going to be able to walk because he was too hungry, too tired, too _weak._ He’d need a lot more food first, and ‘a lot more’ wasn’t even by his old standards, because with his Innocence inactive, he didn’t need that much food at all.

Not that it mattered to Marlisa. Any amount was too much.

Allen leaned his forehead against the door and listened through it. They were talking about… something, in quick, sharp German. Arguing. Marlisa sounded somewhere between angry and panicked.

Allen sighed and pushed off to crawl across the floor and hide under his crib. It’d be a long time before he was let out. He may as well sleep.

* * *

 

Yuu grunted childishly as Bucky pulled his shirt on over his head, a black t-shirt with a little cartoon dinosaur on the front. Bucky smiled briefly, and then reached for the dark red hairbrush on the nightstand. “Turn around,” he said quietly.

Yuu turned around obediently, tangled hair spread across his back. He’d been very insistent on keeping it long, and Natasha, Wanda, and, surprisingly, Steve had all backed him up, so Bucky had really been left with no choice but to let him.

“Are you looking forward to today?” Bucky asked him, weighing the brush in his hand for a moment before beginning to carefully brush Yuu’s hair.

Yuu shrugged. “Sorta, I guess.”

Bucky smirked slightly, watching the brush travel through the lengthening black hair, catching on tangles. It faded, though, as he wondered yet again, _how had Yuu learned English?_

Because Bucky had certainly never taught him; he’d never been aware enough, and Yuu had clearly understood him way back when they first escaped HYDRA. Bucky had been speaking English without even thinking about it. Perhaps Bucky had taught him?

He’d have liked to ask Yuu himself, but Yuu always just stared at him and then turned back to whatever he’d been doing, so there was going to be no help on that front.

“Cassie is older than you are,” Bucky continued, mind turning back to the matter at hand: Yuu’s impending play day with Scott’s daughter. “But it isn’t by much. You should be able to have fun.”

After that first day, Yuu had shown a clear liking for Scott Lang, which was the most Bucky had seen him to respond to anyone without explicit prompting. As a direct result of this, whenever Bucky was tied up, he asked Scott to watch Yuu. Eventually, without Bucky’s noticing, they started to become good friends. Bucky liked Scott’s wry humor, and his unexpected sense of responsibility. In turn, Scott liked Bucky’s willingness to put himself out and, apparently, the faces he made when he was confused. From there, it had developed.

Yuu ‘hm’ed. “Dunno. I never play with ‘nother kid ‘fore.”

Bucky grimaced. Yes, that was true, and he was sorry for it, but there hadn’t been much to be done about it until now. In the light of this fact, though, he’d asked a favor of Scott two weeks before.

It had taken a lot of convincing on Scott’s part, and Bucky now owed him a favor or five, but eventually, Cassie’s mother and stepfather had given their permission to Scott to bring Yuu over for a day.

“You’ll like it,” Bucky promised him. He finished brushing Yuu’s hair and nudged him, and Yuu hopped off and turned around, looking at Bucky with large, expectant eyes.

Bucky held out his hand and Yuu took it, and both of them left the room, Yuu’s socked feet silent on the smooth floor.

In the kitchen, most of the Avengers were haphazardly assembled for breakfast. Rhodey and Sam were out on business, but Vision was engaged in conversation with Wanda, and Natasha was perched on a counter, talking to Steve, who was making pancakes. Scott was at the table, fidgeting, though he perked up when he saw Bucky and Yuu.

Bucky raised his hand in greeting, nodding to Scott, who grinned in return and waved once.

“Look who crawled out of their den,” Scott teased, raising an eyebrow. Bucky rolled his eyes and Steve turned, slightly startled, and then smiled.

Steve was… different, from what little Bucky remembered. He was a lot more solemn now - a lot more grown up, more serious. Of course, Bucky was pretty different himself. It had taken a little effort, a few mishaps… but they were friends again. Really good friends.

“I made pancakes,” was Steve’s greeting of the morning. “After all, today is a pretty special day, isn’t it, Yuu?”

Bucky glanced down in time to see Yuu turn bright pink from mortification and then duck his head, probably scowling at the ground. He smiled slightly in amusement.

Natasha chuckled. “If you keep this up, you might make him regret agreeing,” she commented, referencing the way the entire team had been looking forward to this… probably more than Yuu had, if Bucky was honest.

Yuu made a quiet, displeased noise and let go of Bucky’s hand to scurry across the floor and hoist himself up into the chair beside Scott. A moment later, his head popped up to scowl at all of them, cheeks still pink.

Vision looked over from his conversation and smiled encouragingly. “We are only teasing, Yuu. It is good that you can make a friend closer to your age.” Meaning four years older instead of twenty-three.

Yuu frowned and shrugged, looking back down at the table. He kicked at the air. Scott’s smile softened and he reached down to tug gently at Yuu’s hair, making Yuu frown up at him petulantly.

“Cassie’ll love you,” he promised, smiling. “Don’t worry about it, Yuu.”

The blush faded from Yuu’s face, and he gave Scott a long, hard look, which ended with a shrug as he looked back to the table. “‘Kay.”

Bucky couldn’t hide the smile that broke across his face, and he didn’t try.

“It will be fun, Yuu,” Wanda put in, giving Yuu a small smile. The little boy cocked an eyebrow at her, looking doubtful. “I promise! Playing with others is much more fun than playing alone.”

Her smile was sad, and Vision laid a comforting hand on her arm, expression turning briefly solemn.

“I play with th’ bear,” Yuu argued, blowing a strand of hair out of his face and scowling. “An’ I play with Scott, an’ with you.”

A few times, Yuu had convinced Wanda to levitate him up so that he could build especially tall towers out of blocks. The first time they’d done this, it had damn near given Bucky a heart attack, but it had been the first time he saw Wanda smile and one of the few he’d heard Yuu laugh, so it was a good memory, really.

“You will like playing with other children, too,” Wanda promised, her smile turning more sincere. “That does not mean we will have to stop playing, either.”

Yuu stared at her intensely for a few moments, and then he nodded. At that moment, Steve appeared, bearing a platter heaped full of pancakes, which he set in the middle of the table.

“Looks great, Steve,” Scott said with a grin, and then he hissed as he burned his fingers on the single hottest pancake on the stack.

“Careful, they’re hot,” Steve said with a cheeky grin.

“I noticed,” Scott mumbled.

For a few minutes, they were quiet as pancakes were distributed and dug into. Bucky patiently cut Yuu’s into strips, and then poured syrup on his plate before getting his own. Yuu’s fingers were sticky within seconds, but he managed not to get any on his shirt for once.

“Is Maggie still concerned?” Vision asked Scott after a while, a forkful of pancake hovering halfway from his plate, looking pretty concerned himself.

“She has reservations,” Scott admitted, grimacing. Then he grinned at Yuu. “We’ll prove her wrong, won’t we, Yuu?”

Yuu shrugged, looking suddenly miles more uncomfortable, and Bucky paused, concerned. Was Yuu more nervous about this than he was letting on? He seemed distracted, and he was more than old enough to be starting to understand that his circumstances were… unusual. Was he worried about how Cassie would respond to him?

Or maybe Yuu was worried for a different reason. Bucky and Yuu weren’t separated for more than a few hours, not very often. This time, however, Yuu was scheduled to be at Cassie’s for most of the day, with only one person remotely familiar with him.

And now Bucky was starting to worry, expression wavering uncertainly. Steve noticed, of course, and he leaned forward to smile at Bucky reassuringly.

“Yuu’ll be fine, Bucky, don’t worry. There’ll be three parents there, all of them responsible, and all of them have the means to contact you at any time. Scott will look after Yuu, right, Scott?”

Scott nodded firmly, but Bucky just clenched his jaw. “It’s not a controlled environment,” he said, and it wasn’t quite what he meant, but it was all he could think to say, and Steve’s smile vanished into concern.

“Not a baby,” Yuu muttered irritably. The tension broke, and Yuu huffed.

“Of course you’re not,” Scott reassured him, trying not to smile too hard. “But dads worry, it’s part of their job.” Yuu shot Scott a suspicious look, and Bucky’s lips twitched reluctantly. Scott chuckled. “Yes, I worry, too.”

Yuu considered for a while. “Bear shouldn’ worry.”

“That’s not going to stop him,” Natasha chuckled, but when she looked at Bucky, her expression was serious. “You sure you’re ready for this?”

No. No, not in the least.

Yuu, on the other hand, had apparently made up his mind, because he finally nodded and asked, “Soon?”

“Soon,” Scott promised, stifling a laugh at Bucky’s growing worry. Bucky tried to remember why he’d thought he ever liked him.

Abruptly, Bucky stood up, and Yuu’s head instantly popped up to look at him as he turned and left the room. Yuu was still watching the door when he returned five minutes later, and presented his find to Yuu.

“You should bring Mew,” he told the boy, voice slightly strained. Yuu looked at him, and then he reached and took the little stuffed bear from his hands. Bucky knelt to put Yuu’s shoes on. “So you don’t need to borrow one of Cassie’s.”

Yuu shrugged, but hugged Mew to his chest. “Okay.”

“If you go outside, don’t leave Scott’s line of sight,” Bucky continued, focusing harder than necessary on tying Yuu’s dark blue shoes. “Be nice to Cassie. Don’t scare Maggie or Jim on purpose, even if it would be funny. And-”

“Bucky, he’ll only be gone for a day,” Natasha said, amused.

Bucky sighed and stood up. “Stay safe,” he told Yuu firmly, silently willing him to obey.

Yuu cast an amused look up at him. Great, now even his son was laughing at him.

Scott pushed his chair out and grinned. “Alright, Yuu, let’s go.” He reached down to take Yuu’s hand, and Yuu met him halfway. Scott waved at the others, casting a last, brief smile over his shoulder. “We’ll be back by dinner, alright?”

This was disgustingly domestic, Scott noted. Another thing he hadn’t expected when he’d joined the Avengers.

“Don’t be late,” Steve returned, while Vision and Wanda started to clean up. “Bucky might have a heart attack.”

“You would, too,” Bucky muttered under his breath.

Yuu waved, offering Bucky a genuine, if small, smile. “See you a’ dinner, stupi’ bear.”

Bucky sighed resignedly. “I’ll see you later, Yuu.”

Steve patted Bucky’s arm sympathetically. It didn’t help.

 

* * *

 

Kanda was trying to remember why he’d agreed to this. It was a stupid idea, and he wasn’t really four, anyway. So he didn’t need to interact with kids his age; he was _years_ older than Cassie. So why…?

Right. Because Bucky had looked so happy about the idea. He rolled his eyes. The things he did for the stupid bear.

Still. It might be nice to be able to interact with someone without needing to crane his neck up, and who wouldn’t look at him like he was a child.

“So this is Yuu.”

Kanda grimaced slightly and, reluctantly, looked up at the man who had answered the door.

He looked like an authority type. Kanda hated authority types. Kanda scowled at him belligerently over Mew’s head.

This was stupid. They were stupid. Kanda didn’t need friends his age, he was fine with Bucky and Scott and Wanda, and Rhodey and Sam and Steve and Tasha, all of whom were adults who could look after themselves. He could play with them or by himself and why was he here again?

“This is Yuu,” Scott replied, with a hint of warning in his tone.

“And he’s the Winter Soldier’s son,” the man continued, sounding more dubious by the moment, “And he’s going to play with Cassie.”

Kanda squirmed in place. He could sort of understand the guy’s problem. An assassin’s son, a human weapon, wasn’t the sort of person anyone wanted their daughter to be around. He got that, and he didn’t need a friend his age anyway, so it was _stupid_ that his heart was dropping in his chest.

Because who was he kidding? Kanda had always been a human weapon.

Self-consciously, he loosened his tight hold on M- the teddy bear and tugged on Scott’s hand, looking up at him. “Are we gonna hafta leave?” he asked, hating how plaintive he sounded. He didn’t care. He _didn’t._ Kanda didn’t need friends. He could play just as well by himself, and when he got bored of that, he could train.

But it was hard to be alone once you’d had friends. Stupidly hard.

“No, Yuu, we’re not,” Scott said to Kanda firmly, looking down at him. “After all, Officer Paxton promised, didn’t you, _officer?”_

His tone was a little dangerous, but it was also mostly lost on Paxton; Kanda’s question had drawn the grown man’s attention fully to him for the first time, and Paxton got his first good look at him and visibly deflated with a sigh.

“Alright, I get it.” The man crouched down and held his hand out to Kanda. “I’m Jim; I’m Cassie’s stepfather. Your name is Yuu, right?”

Yuu considered him for a moment, and to his credit, Paxton barely looked discomfited at all. Finally, Yuu let go of Scott’s hand so he could shake Paxton’s, and he nodded.

Paxton smiled at him briefly and then straightened up again. “Well, come in, I guess. Cassie’s really been looking forward to it; she says that she’ll probably like him because you like him.”

“I’m glad she trusts my judgement,” Scott said, sounding amused. “I think the team was more excited about this than Yuu was.” He hesitated, and then added, rueful, “It’s a little hard to tell, but I think that Yuu’s been looking forward to it, too.”

“Right,” Paxton muttered. “You have questionable taste in friends, Lang.”

“I am now friends with _Captain America._ Clearly my taste in friends isn’t _that_ bad,” Scott retorted.

No sooner had they entered the house than Scott was tackled by a little girl wearing a bright dress, and Yuu’s lips twitched slightly in amusement. He assumed that this was Cassie.

Scott looked happy, though, lifting Cassie up to grin at her happily. “Hey, peanut. It’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too, Daddy!” she assured him, smile as bright as her dress. “Mommy told me you made a friend!”

“I made lots of friends,” Scott assured her. “And one of them has a son, you remember?”

“Uh-huh!” Cassie nodded, and then craned her neck to look down. “Is that him? He’s really pretty for a boy.”

Kanda scowled a little, huffing. He was _not_ pretty, dammit.

“That’s him,” Scott confirmed, sounding amused. “His name is Yuu.”

“That’s a funny name,” Cassie claimed, but it was to Yuu, not to Scott.

“It’s Japanese,” Kanda told her, by way of explanation, exasperated.

She ‘hm’ed, and then asked, “What’s your bear’s name? Can I see him?”

Scott let Cassie down, seeing that he’d lost her attention, and watched with a soft smile as she scurried over to Yuu, pelting him with questions, which he answered in what few words he was willing to give up.

Still. It was more than he liked to talk to some of the Avengers, even. Bucky would be better able to tell, but Scott thought he liked Cassie, which was great. He’d have hated to have made a mistake.

“So this is your assassin friend’s son?” Maggie asked Scott, side-eying him in a very uncomfortable manner. “He isn’t quite what I expected.”

Scott was going to get tired of this shit real fast, he could tell. He hoped Bucky never heard about any of this. “He’s three,” he felt the need to point out, “and Cassie likes him well enough.” She was dragging him off to her room now, and Yuu was going along with it, which was amusing and a good sign.

“Cassie also likes that ugly stuffed rabbit you got her,” Paxton said, but he didn’t seem as concerned as he had before. “Is he always this quiet?”

“He’s usually quieter,” Scott admitted. “But I figured Cassie would like him, and look. I was right.”

“Cassie likes everyone,” Maggie said, which was true. “Aren’t you worried?”

“Not at all,” Scott told her, which wasn’t exactly true, because he was worried about how uncomfortable the rest of the day was going to be, being that he was stuck around his ex-wife and Officer Paxton for most of the day.

Maggie considered him, but it was Paxton who offered,

“Want to watch something on television while the kids are upstairs?”

“Sure, why not,” Scott shrugged. Television was hardly going to make this any _more_ awkward.

 

* * *

 

“His name is Ugly and I love him,” Cassie informed Kanda, showing him the _ugliest_ stuffed rabbit he had ever seen. Kanda stared at it, expression unreadable, and then shrugged and looked at her.

“It looks weird,” he said bluntly. He hadn’t ever met a girl like Cassie, he reflected. Most of the women he knew were like Lenalee, or Tasha. She was so… _happy._

She grinned. “I know! But Daddy got him for me, so he’s my favorite, see?”

Kanda shrugged again. Well, it was hardly the weirdest thing he’d ever heard. “‘Kay. Wanna play?”

“Sure! What do you want to play?” Her eyes were bright and excited; he wondered how often she got to have people over. Her parents seemed pretty protective of her.

Fair enough. The real world would squash her. And Kanda, too, at the moment.

“I don’ know.” Most of the games Kanda played by himself with Mew were probably inappropriate.

“Let’s let them make friends!” Cassie declared. Kanda didn’t know why she was asking him questions when she clearly had ideas in mind. He nodded and both of them plopped down on the floor.

“Hi! I’m Ugly,” Cassie said, in a slightly off voice clearly meant to be the rabbit’s, from the wiggling motions she made with it as she spoke. Kanda shrugged and went with it.

“Yes, you are,” he replied, wiggling Mew in front of Ugly, even though he knew perfectly well what Cassie meant.

“That’s not very nice,” Ugly pouted, dipping down in the air. He perked back up and clarified, “My name is Ugly. What’s yours?”

“I’m Mew,” Mew told him, tilting to one side curiously. “That’s a weird name.” Ha. Take that, Ugly.

“I know, but that’s okay! ‘Cause it’s my name.” Cassie grinned at Yuu, who considered her for a moment and then, quick as a flash, smiled back, then looked back down at their stuffed animals.

“Wanna play?” Mew asked Ugly, tipping to the other side.

“Sure!” Ugly said cheerfully. “Let’s go for a walk.”

At that point, Cassie started to creep around the room, scooting along the ground, wiggling Ugly in a facsimile of walking. Yuu imitated her, keeping Mew even with Ugly.

This was stupid. Incredibly stupid, and one of the most pointless things Yuu had ever engaged in, including his playtime by himself.

It was also, he would admit, a lot of fun.

And while he was pretty focused on the game himself, he couldn’t help but admire how into it _Cassie_ was - it was like she was living it.

He could almost remember doing that, with Alma, maybe once or twice a literal lifetime ago. Before he’d left the lab, and they ran around pretending to be an exorcist and an akuma or a CROW and an accommodator or some shit like that, he couldn’t even remember any more.

They hadn’t known what the heck they were talking about then, either, but it had been fun.

After a while, Yuu was nearly as lost in it as Cassie was, but then the door opened and Scott poked his head in. Kanda started hard and dropped Mew, but Cassie just looked up curiously.

“Daddy?” she questioned.

Scott smiled at her. “Just checking on you, peanut. Are you two having fun?”

Cassie nodded enthusiastically, taking Scott’s words at face value. “Yeah! We’re playing with Mew and Ugly, and they’re going on an adventure around the world!” Yes, the ‘walk’ had very quickly evolved into a trip around the world, and Kanda sort of hoped Scott hadn’t been listening, because he shouldn’t know nearly as many things about the world as he’d been saying.

Then again, Bucky had taken him to some of those places. It wasn’t like Scott would know the difference.

But, actually, listening to them playing… probably hadn’t been Scott’s primary concern. Kanda scrutinized Scott closely, wondering what he’d been looking for, and what he’d found.

After all, Cassie _was_ Scott’s daughter. And he loved her a lot.

But Scott was still smiling at her as she explained what they’d been doing, didn’t look worried in the slightest, and Kanda relaxed and picked Mew up again, dusting him off absently.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Scott said at last, when Cassie was done talking and beaming at him like he was the whole world. “One of us will come bring you down when it’s time for lunch, okay, peanut, Yuu?”

“Okay, Daddy,” Cassie agreed, and Kanda nodded, looking back at Cassie expectantly while Scott turned and left, closing the door behind him.

They had been doing something, after all.

“We can go to Egypt!” Ugly said excitedly, and Mew objected,

“But it’s hot in Egypt, an’ there’s lots of sand and dust everywhere.”

“That’s okay! We can bring a raincoat to keep it off.”

 

* * *

 

Toward the end of the day, when the sun was dipping down in the sky, Yuu watched the television screen intently.

_“But after years and years of asking and asking and asking… I finally said yes.”_

Cassie giggled, and Yuu smirked briefly before refocusing on… what was the movie called again? Tangled.

_“Eugene…”_

_“Alright! I asked her.”_

_“And we’re living happily ever.”_

_“Yes, we are.”_

The last lantern swooped across the screen, and Yuu blinked and looked up. It wasn’t the first movie he’d ever seen, but it was the first one made for children, and he actually sort of liked it. It wasn’t boring, and for a kid’s movie… He could relate to it a lot.

He’d felt a lot of the things Rapunzel had, when he’d first stepped out of the lab. Only he’d been a lot less lighthearted, and he hadn’t lived happily ever after.

Scott yawned and stretched dramatically, making Maggie grimace at him. Scott ignored her.

“Well, I know you’ve been having fun, Yuu, but I’m afraid we have to go now.”

Kanda sighed and nodded, straightening up.

“Aw,” Cassie pouted, also climbing to her feet. “Do you really have to go, Daddy?”

Scott smiled at her. “Sorry, peanut, but Yuu and I have to get back in time for dinner, or his daddy’ll worry. But I’ll come back as soon as I can, okay?”

Cassie darted over to him and hugged him tightly, and Scott hugged her back until she let go. “Come back soon,” Cassie told him firmly. “And I wanna play with Yuu again, even if I still think he’s too pretty to really be a boy!”

“Okay,” Scott chuckled, almost as amused by Paxton’s wince as Cassie’s words. “I’ll try my best.”

Yuu scowled, but it was soon startled off his face as Cassie suddenly turned and hugged him, too.

“Goodbye, Yuu!”

“Bye, Cassie,” Kanda muttered, trying to squirm away. She let go too slowly and stood back and grinned at him.

“You’re funny. Let’s play again soon.”

Yuu shrugged. “‘Kay.”

And then he smiled very briefly, and turned to take Scott’s hand. It had been a fun day, more than he’d readily admit, but he was definitely ready to go back home. He wanted to see Bucky again. And the stupid bear would probably want to hear about his day, too. And everyone else, probably.

The small smile stayed on his face the whole way back to the Avengers base.


	19. Memento Mori

_Let me out, let me out, let me out…_

Allen whined softly, pushing weakly against the door, though he knew it wouldn’t open; it was boarded shut. He could see where the board blocked the light.

He didn’t cry aloud, Marlisa hated that, but tears welled in his eyes and flowed down his cheeks.

He was hungry, and thirsty, and he felt tired. He ached for no particular reason, and it smelled like wine and he felt sick. He hated this. He hated being a baby. He hated how alone he felt. He hated Marlisa.

For the first time in a very long time, Allen was angry at everything, and that scared him, too.

* * *

“Coulson. I need to talk to you.”

Coulson looked up from his work, one eyebrow raised. “Is it important?” he asked mildly, studying her.

“Personal,” Melinda clarified, arms crossed, one finger tapping her arm restlessly.

She’d thought a lot about this in the time since Lenalee had told her the truth, and after a while, she’d come to a decision. Melinda wasn’t qualified to handle this on her own; she needed help. Advice. And Coulson was almost always her first stop for advice.

Sure enough, Coulson’s brow furrowed in concern, and he gestured for her to sit down in the chair across from his desk, which she did.

“Is it Andrew or Lenalee?” he asked, folding his arms on the table, over top of his work.

“Lenalee,” Melinda replied, holding herself rigid, eyes focused on Coulson’s, face stony. “Phil, have you ever encountered reincarnation before?”

Coulson took a moment to process that, and then his eyes widened. “No,” he breathed.

Melinda glowered at him, and her hand drifted up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “Is that a ‘no, I haven’t encountered it’ or a ‘no, I can’t believe it’? Because I’m lost here, Phil, and I can’t do right by Lenalee if I keep tripping over my own feet.”

Melinda’s frustrated glare pulled Coulson out of his shock, and he took another moment to collect himself before he answered, visibly perturbed, “No, I’ve never encountered it.” And then he couldn’t resist adding, “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure,” Melinda said sharply. “She said it herself, and she is two, Phil, she shouldn’t even know the word.”

“Did she tell you anything about it?” Coulson pressed, leaning forward slightly, mind racing. _And why are all of these things, all of these strange things, popping out of the woodworks now? Why now? Why not ten, fifty, a hundred years ago?_

She let out a frustrated sigh, dropping her hand to press her palm hard against the table. “Some. Not a lot.” Almost apropos of nothing, she added, “She’s British.”

Coulson was jerked out of his reverie and cocked an eyebrow, unaccountably fascinated. “British? Really?”

Melinda smiled faintly, but it was hard and strained. “Most of her life, but apparently she was born in China. And she had a brother.” Her smile dropped abruptly. “A brother, and friends. She lost all of them, Phil.” Quieter and frustrated, “She must miss them.”

And the second phase of the problem presented itself: this was Lenalee.

Coulson _knew_ Lenalee. He’d never known much of anything about kids, and what he knew of Lenalee matched what little he’d gleaned from his nephew, so he hadn’t noticed anything strange. How long had _Lenalee_ known? Why hadn’t she said anything? Was she worried? How old was she really?

Coulson hated it when his personal and professional lives conflicted.

His face turned solemn as he turned Melinda’s new worry over in his mind. “And God knows how well Captain America dealt with that.” Steve had been all but crushed. “But it’s been two years, May. The hard part is over.”

Melinda nodded absently, and Coulson could almost see her turn mentally to the next order of business, which turned out to be- “She was murdered.”

Coulson swallowed. “That… might be harder to get over.”

Melinda’s face was tight, her shoulders tense. “According to Lenalee, they considered her _dangerous.”_

Dangerous. Now, was that dangerous like Stark, a security threat? Or dangerous like Daisy, a superhuman? Or like Melinda, an ordinary human with extraordinary skill?

For a long moment, Coulson stared at Melinda, considering.

Melinda hadn’t been delighted to learn that she was expecting, exactly, but there had never been any sort of discussion of abortion, and there had been a certain light in her eyes from the first time she saw Lenalee. She wasn’t overt about it - Melinda had never been an affectionate person - but Coulson knew that there was never a time Melinda lost track of her daughter, and rarely a time when she couldn’t find time to spend with her.

But she was also human, and people with powers had been a touchy subject since Bahrain. Control had always been important to Melinda, and he knew it was hard for her to lose that. He also knew she could handle it.

“We’ll find out what happened,” Coulson promised her, and then he stood up. “Who did you leave Lenalee with?”

Melinda’s eyes narrowed almost instantly. “Why?”

Coulson paused, slightly startled. And then he almost smiled; this had probably increased Melinda’s protectiveness manyfold. “I thought we could talk to Lenalee about whatever she was willing to tell us,” he said mildly. “It couldn’t hurt.”

Melinda considered him, and then nodded reluctantly. “I left her with Agent Morse in her playroom.” Meaning the storage room that had been childproofed, stocked with toys and coloring books, and secured within an inch of its life. “The instant she says the word, we stop.”

Coulson nodded. “Of course.”

In the playroom, Bobbi was swinging Lenalee by her arms, the tips of the little girl’s toes dangling a few inches above the ground. Bobbi was smiling lightly down at her, and Lenalee squealed with delight.

“Lenalee,” Coulson called, making Bobbi start and Lenalee look up quizzically.

“Uncle Phil?” she questioned, stilling to dangle limply from Bobbi’s grasp.

Coulson crossed the room and crouched in front of her (ow, his knees) to let her see his serious expression. Her face fell and turned solemn.

“Am I missing something?” Bobbi asked Melinda, frowning. “What did you and Coulson talk about?”

“Can I ask you a few questions?” Coulson asked Lenalee quietly. He wanted to handle this as smoothly as possible, for his sake and Lenalee’s. Unfortunately, he had an obligation to look into this, as an agent of SHIELD.

Fortunately, Melinda would have known that when she approached him, so he would probably survive the process.

Lenalee twisted her wrists, prompting Bobbi to let her down with a quiet curse. She ducked her head so her hair hid her eyes. “I don’ wanna,” she said petulantly, which, from Lenalee, was not actually a ‘no’.

“I know,” Melinda soothed.

 _“May,”_ Bobbi said loudly.

Melinda reached down, grasped Lenalee’s chin, and gently tilted her head up. “Can she know?” Melinda asked seriously.

Lenalee stared at her with wide eyes for a few seconds, and then she nodded silently.

Melinda nodded back and looked up at a very confused Bobbi. “Lenalee has memories of a past life,” she explained, trying to stay as matter-of-fact as possible.

Bobbi blinked. “Excuse me?” she blurted out.

“Reincarnation,” Coulson clarified, watching as a multitude of emotions flickered across Bobbi’s face, her eyes going to worried Lenalee more than once. Finally, she seemed to settle on resignation.

“Sure, why not,” she muttered, shaking her head slightly. Lenalee managed a smile and a soft giggle.

“It would just be a few simple questions,” Coulson promised, gently steering the conversation back to its previous track.

Lenalee looked at him with a long, jaded look that he had never seen from her before, but he held her gaze. Finally, she shrugged.

“‘Kay,” she whispered, edging closer to Melinda, who sat down and pulled her onto her lap and briefly brushed her lips across the little girl’s hair.

“Should I leave?” Bobbi asked suddenly, gaze flickering between them.

Coulson glanced at Melinda and Lenalee, both of whom nodded at him, and in turn looked at Bobbi. “Please.”

Bobbi nodded, cast one last worried look at the two females on the ground, and left, the door swinging shut behind her.

Coulson joined the two others on the ground, legs folded, across from them.

“I’m going to record this,” he cautioned, taking out his phone so they could watch him turn the recorder on.

“‘Kay,” Lenalee repeated, and Melinda nodded; she knew protocol.

“Thank you, Lenalee. Now, what was your name during your past life?”

Lenalee felt Melinda tense, but she just tilted her head back to smile at her mother. “Lenalee Lee,” she told Coulson. “I don’ know why… didn’ change.”

Coulson nodded and Melinda smiled briefly. “For all we know, that’s standard for reincarnation,” Melinda noted, and Lenalee giggled and nodded.

“What year were you born?” Coulson prompted, smiling a little himself.

“Eight…” Lenalee wrinkled her nose. “One-eigh’-fi’-fi’.”

“1855?” Coulson clarified, a little stunned, though he shouldn’t have been; that wasn’t, technically speaking, that long ago at all. Considering.

“Uh-huh,” Lenalee nodded, and then added, “Same day.”

Melinda took a deep breath and poked Lenalee in the stomach, making her shriek with laughter. “That makes _you_ an old lady. I’m not sure I can call you ‘baby girl’ anymore, baby girl.”

Lenalee laughed and smiled at her, brown eyes bright. “You can call me wha’eva, Mommy.”

“I don’t think anyone can stop her,” Coulson said, with a small smile.

Lenalee smiled and nodded, and then looked at Coulson expectantly. Coulson schooled his expression back into seriousness.

“Date of death?” he asked, trying to keep this as professional as possible. Also making this up as he went along. Despite Melinda’s glare of death.

Lenalee’s face turned solemn, and she tipped her head into Melinda’s hand, which threaded through her hair. “Jan’wawy twelve, se’en-fi’.”

In unison, both adults froze, and Lenalee reached up and wiped at her eyes with her palm.

“Nine-teen,” Lenalee added. Melinda relaxed too early, and Lenalee clarified, “I was nine-teen.”

_I will not cry. I will not frighten Lenalee. I will stay composed and in control until I am alone. I will learn what I need to learn and handle what I need to handle, and I will not think about what Lenalee’s corpse might have looked like._

“You’re here now, baby girl,” Melinda said firmly. “No one will hurt you here. I won’t let them.”

Lenalee sniffled and turned her face into Melinda’s shoulder. Melinda carefully stroked her hair, watching her little face scrunch up, relax, and scrunch up again. After a few minutes, she asked,

“Can you keep going?”

Lenalee nodded.

“Thank you, Lenalee,” Coulson said quietly. “What’s the last thing you remember from last time?”

“Dying,” Lenalee whispered, scrunching into Melinda as if to disappear. Melinda shot Coulson a look that clearly said _‘if she doesn’t feel better soon, then this is over and also I will kill you slowly’._

Coulson winced; he knew how unpleasant it was for him to carry the memory of his own near-death. “I’m sorry,” he said, both for the memories she shouldn’t have and for bringing them up. “Just a few more questions, Lenalee, then we’re done.”

“And then we can watch a movie,” Melinda added, still stroking gently. “Okay?”

“Mm-hm,” Lenalee mumbled, and then turned her head to look at Coulson with one eye. “Wha’ now?”

“The first thing you remember from this time,” Coulson replied, the lines of his face soft with concern.

Lenalee smiled briefly through her tears. “Mommy talkin’ t’me. Wigh’ afta I was bown.” At their startled looks, she giggled wetly. “Wasn’ list’nen a’ fiwst, bu’ den I was, an’...” She shrugged, smiling a little.

Coulson and Melinda exchanged a look of equal amazement.

“That explains why she always cried when Hunter tried to hold her,” Coulson remarked, and Lenalee giggled.

“Huntew’s funny.”

“Hunter’s _panic_ is funny,” Melinda admitted, smirking slightly. “I’m not sure he ever forgave either of us for the milk jug incident.”

Lenalee and Coulson both laughed at the memory, and then Coulson asked curiously,

“But then why did you cry when Simmons held you? I’m fairly certain May gave the okay for that.” He glanced at Melinda for confirmation, and she nodded.

Lenalee wrinkled her nose. _“Mommy_ say okay. _I_ no’ say okay.”

Both of them considered this.

“Fair enough,” Coulson finally agreed. “You mentioned a brother. What was his name?”

Lenalee smiled; it was sad and wistful, and her eyes were wet again, but she didn’t cry. “Komui. He was…” She frowned. “Um. Like Fizz.”

“An engineer?” Coulson prompted, slightly surprised. Lenalee hadn’t shown the slightest interest in science, but of course, just because her brother was, doesn’t mean she was.

Lenalee nodded. “Yeah. An… fiwteen yeaws oldew.”

Coulson nodded thoughtfully, and then asked the obvious question. “And what did you do?”

Lenalee shut down so fast he could almost see the iron doors slamming shut. Her smile vanished, her eyes dimmed, and she turned her face back into Melinda, deliberately hiding away.

“Okay, we’re done here,” Melinda announced, a little unnerved by the sudden rigidity of the child in her arms. What had Lenalee done that she so didn’t want to talk about? That had, in all likelihood, been the thing that got her killed _so damn young?_

“Understood,” Coulson said solemnly, shutting off the recording. “Thank you, Lenalee, that was very brave.”

Lenalee shrugged, not emerging from her little safe place even as Melinda rose from her place on the ground, cradling the little girl like she’d break.

“Do you still want to watch a movie?” Melinda asked Lenalee quietly, looking down at her. Lenalee nodded. “Which one?”

“...Lilo and Stitch?”

Lenalee’s favorite; they’d seen it a dozen times and Melinda was sick of it. “Done.”

Two hours later found them both on a couch, Lenalee lying curled up in Melinda’s lap, both of them fast asleep.

 

* * *

 

The list of people Lenalee wanted to know about her was very short: Melinda, Coulson, Bobbi, Hunter, Daisy, Mack, Fitz, and, with reluctance, Simmons.

A few days after the initial talk with the team, Melinda gave in and decided to seek help answering the question at the forefront of her mind: what had caused Lenalee’s death?

Because whatever it was, she wanted to make damn sure it didn’t happen this time - she was going to make sure Lenalee lived a long, full life if it killed her.

The problem with this was that Lenalee was perceptive, and if she sensed Melinda getting upset, she would stop talk. And Melinda was fairly certain that whatever Lenalee said, whatever images her words conjured up in Melinda’s mind, it would be beyond even Melinda’s extensive ability to cope. Lenalee was far too young for Melinda to bear even the abstract idea of her death, and this would not be an abstract idea.

So she would have to ask for help. Normally, her first choice for this would’ve been Andrew, but for some reason he made Lenalee uncomfortable, so she had to look elsewhere.

Bobbi was good and loyal, with enough skill to get Lenalee to talk to her and enough tact to keep her from breaking down. And Lenalee liked her.

“You want me to _what?”_

She was also sane enough to have objections, which was unfortunate.

“I want you,” Melinda repeated tersely, “to find out, from Lenalee, about the circumstances surrounding her death - who killed her, why, how, and anything else that might come up.”

Bobbi blew out a frustrated breath. “Look, May, I know you’ve had a while to get used to the idea, but I’m still trying to process the fact that _your daughter_ is actually a reincarnated teenage girl from the eighteen hundreds. I’m not sure I can do this.” Another thought occurred to her. “Wait. Why do you think she was _killed?”_

“Because she _told me so,”_ Melinda bit out. “I need you to do this for me. Please.”

The last word almost hurt to say, but it did the trick. Bobbi deflated and watched her for a long moment, and then nodded.

“Okay, I’ll do it. Who has her right now?”

“Fitz,” Melinda said instantly. Fitz was Lenalee’s favorite, after Daisy.

Bobbi nodded. “You owe me for this,” she said, and brushed past Melinda to head for the lab.

Simmons was hiding away somewhere, so it was just Lenalee and Fitz in the lab. Fitz was keeping up a running mixture of commentary and explanations, all directed at Lenalee, who was sitting on his shoulders, peering curiously at his work.

“Hey, Fitz,” Bobbi called, mind already parsing how best to approach this. “Can I borrow the little cutie for a bit? I want to talk to her.”

“Oh!” Fitz started, looking at Bobbi with surprise. “Uh, sure, I guess.”

Lenalee tilted her head and looking at Bobbi curiously, but she obediently held out her arms as Bobbi drew closer.

“See you later, Lenalee,” Fitz told her, with a slightly bemused smile. He’d taken it well, all things considered.

“Buh-bye,” Lenalee answered, waving over Bobbi’s shoulder as the woman carried her away.

“Thanks, Fitz,” Bobbi threw out distractedly, missing Fitz’ slight frown.

As soon as they were into the hallway, Lenalee rested her head on Bobbi’s shoulder, turned wide brown eyes to the side of her side, and asked, “Bobbi, what wong?”

“Nothing,” Bobbi lied absently. There was the playroom. She went in. “Do you want to color?”

She could feel confusion pouring off the little girl in waves, but fortunately for Bobbi, she rolled with it. “Yeah.”

“Great. May I borrow a coloring book, Lenalee? I feel like coloring, too.” She looked at Lenalee, who was gazing at her thoughtfully, head tilted. Slowly, Lenalee nodded.

“Uh-huh.”

“Great.” Bobbi smiled at her briefly, and then took out a coloring book for each of them - a Spongebob one for herself, and a Dora one for Lenalee.

For a few minutes, both of them were quiet, coloring from a box of crayons Bobbi had scattered between them. To Bobbi’s surprise, it was Lenalee who broke the silence, setting her crayon down and pushing herself up a little to look at Bobbi.

“Bobbi, awe you… okay? Wit…” She trailed off, looking tentative and anxious.

Bobbi stopped, too, feeling a wave of sympathy wash over her. Of course, this was harder on Lenalee than on anyone. “It’s fine,” Bobbi promised, reaching over to mess up Lenalee’s chin-length hair gently. “You’re fine. It just takes some getting used to, is all.” She smiled, a light of amusement in her eyes. “You’re real special, Lenalee, but we’re getting used to special.”

Lenalee smiled back, hair now in disarray.

“Actually, that’s… kind of what I wanted to talk to you about,” Bobbi ‘admitted’, taking the opening and looking down as if unsure. She rolled a brown crayon between her fingers. “Do you mind if I ask you a pretty personal question?”

“...Guess not.” Lenalee sounded anxious again. Bobbi ignored the knot in her stomach and continued.

“In this line of work, I come close to dying… more times than I really like to think about.” Just recently, for instance. She rolled her shoulder subconsciously. “And I understand you have some firsthand experience with that.”

God, she hoped this was the right approach. From what she could tell, Lenalee’s maturity hovered between that of a normal two-year-old and that of someone who had seen much, much more than a typical twenty-year-old.

Lenalee stayed quiet. For a worryingly long time, she didn’t make a sound, and anxiety started to rise in Bobbi’s chest. Finally, she gave in and said hastily,

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that. Never mind.” She might just have to try again another time.

“I don’ know wha’ t’say,” Lenalee said softly, apparently ignoring her last words. “But it okay t’ask.”

Bobbi felt somewhere between relieved and wary. “Well, let’s start simple. What were you doing that day?” Simple recall technique.

“I was…” Lenalee faltered. “Wih a fwiend. A’ her flowew shop. She was helpin’ me ge’ to…” She shrugged. “I don’ wemembew.”

“And then?” Bobbi prompted.

“I saw… some’ne. Weconized ‘em, and dey wewe _mean._ So I tol’ Denise to go ba’ an’ pwetend she didn’ know me, an’...” She trailed off, looking uncertain, and Bobbi’s heart wrenched a little at the look on her face. “I don’ know who dey wewe, jus’ who dey wowked fow.”

“Who?” Bobbi asked quietly. Lenalee glanced up at her, looking sad and confused.

“CWOW. Sub-gwoup o’ the same place I wowked fow.”

...Shit. So, similar situation to the whole HYDRA fiasco, and Bobbi knew how deep that betrayal cut. Privately, she wondered what exactly it was Lenalee had done, and then asked,

“What did they do?”

“They pull me ‘nta an alley, an’…” She trailed off again. “It gets hazy a’ th’end.” At Bobbi’s nod, she continued, “They bound my legs, an' den they bound my awms, an' dey tol’ me why dey wewe killin’ me, an’ den they cut my thwoat.” She drew one finger across her throat in demonstration, and then let her hand fall to the ground.

For a few minutes after that, both of them were silent. Bobbi struggled past the mental images of tiny Lenalee bleeding out on the ground. She was… right, she was meant to be finding things out. Discovering useful information. But before she could ask another question, Lenalee continued.

“It huwt a lo’,” she said. “An’ I couldn’ bweathe.”

Abruptly, Bobbi recalled exactly how she’d prompted Lenalee, and her stomach turned. She wasn’t ready for this.

“It got dawk, an’ my eaws buzzed, an’ I fel’ heavy.”

Bobbi was not prepared to hear a graphic description of death from a fucking _toddler._

“I twied t’stand, bu’ I couldn’, so I fell. The colow wen’ away, an’ den I couldn’ feel things anymowe, an’ den I couldn’ se, an’ den I couldn’ heaw.”

Bobbi tried to suck in a breath, but it was hard. Lenalee’s eyes were unfocused, cast to the ground, and her voice was distant, almost mechanical.

“An’ I was scawed. I wanted t’stand, ‘cause dey sai’ dey wewe gonna kill my bwothew an’ my fwiends, bu’ I couldn’, so I jus’ lay in the snow.” I kep’ twyin’, but I couldn’ move.”

Bobbi could remember that, the weakness that came with blood loss or oxygen deprivation. It was all too easy to imagine it as something more final.

“An’ den it go’ weally, weally cold,” Lenalee said softly. “Dyin’ s’posed t’feel like falling ‘sleep, but it doesn’. It like when you hit youw head an’ you know you shouldn’ sleep, bu’ you can’ stay ‘wake. So you don’.”

More silence; apparently Lenalee was done, althought she was still staring at her half-colored Dora with that awful, dim-eyed gaze. Bobby took a moment to breathe and center herself.

On the bright side, Lenalee didn’t look traumatized, just creepy. So she hadn’t done any harm.

There was this one part that didn’t make any sense to Bobbi. Lenalee was one of the gentlest, most sensitive girls Bobbi had ever met; she wouldn’t hurt a fly. She understood that people changed as they grew up, but…

“What was the reason they gave?” she asked, voice low so it was hard to hear the anger or the horror or the shake. “For killing you?”

Lenalee blinked (thank God) and looked at her, focusing gradually. She considered Bobbi, and then she pushed herself upright.

“It ‘cause of wha’ I was,” Lenalee said at last. “An’ wha’ I did, kinda.” She hesitated, but Bobbi didn’t take her eyes off her. If she was breathing a little quickly, Lenalee didn’t seem to notice. “You gonna tell Mommy, wight?”

Damn. Lenalee had been onto her the whole time. Bobbi nodded.

“Not ‘bout dying?” Lenalee asked worriedly.

“No.” In fact, Bobbi was going to try very hard to forget about that part of the conversation. Possibly with alcohol.

Lenalee nodded, solemn.

“I was an a… a-com-o-date-or,” she told her, sounding out the word carefully, expression serious. “Tha’ meant I had an In-no-cence, a weapon wit special powews.” She pushed up the hem of her dress, revealing the strange birthmark on her ankle. “It made us stwong, an’ fast, an’ stuwdy, an’ it gave us special ‘bilities.”

“Special like Daisy?” Bobbi asked, leaning forward, fascination shoving aside the nausea for now.

Lenalee nodded. “Uh-huh.” She tapped the birthmark on her ankle. “This was mine. Dawk Boots.” She smiled a little. “It let me fly.”

Bobbi blinked, startled. And then she smiled a little herself. “Fly? Really?”

Lenalee smiled bigger and nodded. “Uh-huh! I liked tha’.” Her face fell again. “But In-no-cence is a weapon, always was. As an a-com-o-date-or, I got…” She hesitated, and Bobbi couldn’t fail to notice that. “Recwuited, an’ twained as an exowcist fow the Black Owdew, li’ my fwiends. Den once dey didn’ need us anymowe, CWOW go’ scawed, and so…” She spread her little chubby arms, face solemn. “They _cwossed us off.”_

...She had to have learned that terminology from Melinda.

“SHIELD does not kill children,” Bobbi told Lenalee sternly, willing her to believe it (and deliberately forgetting about the Bahrain story). “That won’t happen.”

Lenalee shrugged and put her hands in her lap, looking at the ground uncomfortably. “Can I go ba’ to the lab? I don’ wanna talk ‘bout this anymowe.”

“Alright,” Bobbi said instantly. She was pretty sure she’d heard more than enough, anyway. “Now?”

Lenalee nodded, and the two of them quickly put the crayons and coloring books away before Lenalee held her arms up to Bobbi. Bobbi picked her up and took her to the lab, nodded to Fitz, and ignored his frown as Lenalee instantly ducked under one of the tables, unwilling to return to what she’d been doing before.

When Bobbi found Melinda, she stopped in front of the other woman and stared. Melinda stared apprehensively back.

“What did you find?”

“I,” Bobbi said, low and frustrated and angry, “am _never_ doing that again, May. I will not _sit there_ and _listen_ to a two-year-old _describe their death.”_

Melinda looked at her for a long moment, and then nodded. “Understood. Can you _please_ tell me what you found out?”

Bobbi took a deep breath, crossed her arms, and relayed, “She told me the name of her profession, but she didn’t explain what it meant. Apparently, she was an exorcist for an organization called the Black Order.”

“Exorcist?” Melinda asked, brow furrowed and visibly alarmed. Bobbi nodded.

“An exorcist, according to Lenalee, is something called an ‘accommodator’, someone with a weapon called Innocence, which granted them superhuman strength, speed, and endurance, as well as unusual abilities. She said she could fly, by the way.” She smiled coldly at Melinda’s briefly startled look. “There was a sub-group of the Order called the CROW, and they’re apparently the ones who killed her, because of the power she, and others like her, held. Lenalee says that they also killed her brother and her friends, or at least intended to.”

Melinda took a rattling breath, reaching up to press her hand over her forehead in a rare moment of weakness. After a moment, she nodded. “Thank you, Bobbi. I owe you one.”

“Yes,” Bobbi agreed. “You do.”

And then she left, aiming to look for something a lot stronger than a soda.

Melinda, on the other hand, went to find Lenalee. She wasn’t sure when she’d feel comfortable letting the little girl out of her sight again.

Probably a long time from now.

 

* * *

 

“For every Daisy Johnson, there’s a Lash, and it’s ignorant of you to think otherwise.”

As Daisy stormed off, Lenalee peeked out from where she’d been hiding to listen. Rosalind was a scary woman, but no more so than, say, General Nyne had been. More upsetting were the views she took. And Coulson _liked_ this woman?

“Who you?” she asked quietly, just to draw Rosalind’s attention. Sure enough, Rosalind started slightly, turned around, glanced about at eye level, and, finally, let her gaze drop to the ground and light with surprise.

Then she crouched, coming closer to Lenalee’s level. Lenalee still stared at her distrustfully, half-hidden by the wall.

“Hello, little girl. Who are you?”

“Lenalee May,” Lenalee told her, figuring there was no harm in it. “Agen’ May’s li’l giwl. Who you?”

“My name is Rosalind,” Rosalind said, quiet and simple. “I’m working with Director Coulson for now. What are you doing out and about?”

“Lookin’ ‘wound,” Lenalee answered vaguely. She’d actually been spying on Rosalind, but Rosalind didn’t really need to know that. “Why you tink dey sick?”

“They?” Rosalind questioned.

Lenalee shrugged. “Daisy an’ Lincoln an’ Joey an’ dem.”

“Oh.” Rosalind visibly considered for a moment. Lenalee was surprised; most adults didn’t give her the time of day. “Well… Lenalee?” Lenalee nodded. “Lenalee, when a human becomes Inhuman, it does strange things to their mind. Some of them go crazy.”

“Daisy not cwazy,” Lenalee told her. There was nothing wrong with being special. Why couldn’t they see that? Why couldn’t they see that it was _just as hard for them?_

“I know,” Rosalind acknowledged, with a small smile. “But some of the people like her are, and they’re dangerous. So they need to be cured, see?”

Lenalee shook her head, eyes dark. “No. You scawed of ‘em, is all. You shouldn’ be scawed.”

Rosalind’s gaze sharpened slightly, and she studied Lenalee as she answered slowly, “What makes you think I’m scared?”

“People _always_ scawed,” Lenalee mumbled, shrinking back a little. “An’ scawed people do _bad things.”_

“That’s true,” Rosalind admitted. “A cornered animal will fight back the hardest.”

Lenalee’s gaze hardened. “You shouldn’ be scawed,” she repeated firmly. “‘Cause you have _youw people._ All we got is _ouwselves_ an’ _each othew,_ an' sometimes no' even tha'.”

She could see the realization dawn in Rosalind’s eyes, and the quick up-down sweep of her gaze, but Lenalee’s gaze didn’t waver. Rosalind then, to her surprise, skipped entirely over the question of _how_ she was a ‘special person’ and asked directly, “What’s your point?”

Lenalee stepped back a little more, tears filling her eyes as she ducked her head. “It doesn’ mattew how stwong we awe. Humans find a way t’win. You _fine.”_ She glanced up at Rosalind through her bangs, not wanting to admit how scared she was but not able to hide it. “So you, you just decide wha’ tha’ means fow _us._ Don’ be mean. ‘Kay?”

Rosalind stared at her for a long time.

“Okay,” she said at last, and she didn’t mean it in the slightest.

Lenalee knew it.


	20. Communication Breakdown

The television was on, showing an American news report on some group called the Avengers. Marlisa was pacing back and forth in front of it, growling frustratedly to herself, and Allen was hiding under the table, listening.

"Those fools, this isn't a time to be conservative with resources, they…" She hissed. "They should have let me handle it, _I_ should be in charge of HYDRA." She turned sharply, glaring at the ground. "I have _experience._ I have a _right!_ What do they know? _What do they know about HYDRA and its history?"_

HYDRA, Allen had gathered, was a terrorist group, and Marlisa's husband had been a leader in it. It figured.

"And now, those… those _Avengers,_ they're going to get the upper hand! They'll ruin everything we've worked for, everything…" She exhaled sharply. _"I_ should be out there. _I_ should be leading, instead of… holed up here, with the little freak!"

Allen ducked down and accidentally jostled the table, and she whirled on him, eyes blazing.

"Yes, I'm talking about you, you little monster! You're the only thing keeping me here! You're tying me down, you… If you weren't here…" She ground her teeth and Allen shrank back further, trying to disappear from her sight again. He was better off then.

He was better off alone.

"I hate you! I hate you so much! You ruined everything, _everything!_ I should throw you out on your ass! Do the world a favor and let you die, but out of the goodness of my heart-"

There _was_ no goodness in her heart. Allen was having a little trouble remembering what he saw in people right about now.

God, he hoped that wore off. Not all people were like Marlisa. Right?

He was pretty sure. Pretty sure…

* * *

If there was one thing Steve could say about the New Avengers, it was that they were a lot neater and more polite than his old team. It actually kind of made him miss scolding Tony for his bad language and sighing at Thor's messes.

This meant, though, that the New Avengers were a lot easier to live with, and that chores actually got done. Like the dishes.

Steve chuckled a little, scrubbing at a little plate that had to have been Yuu's. And then his smile faded.

Bucky was… different, from what Steve remembered. Serious. Deadly. He'd lost his sense of humor; it made Steve sad. He was _world-weary_ now, and Steve didn't even like to think about what HYDRA must have put him through. Must have _forced him_ to do.

But sometimes, Steve could still see bits of the old Bucky in him, too. Like when he scolded Steve for being reckless, or smiled at a joke, or, more recently, laughed at Yuu's antics.

Steve lived for those moments, but he was getting to know this new Bucky. And Bucky was getting to know him, too - Bucky wasn't the only one who'd changed.

Then, of course, there was Yuu.

Of all the things Steve might've expected Bucky to bring out of HYDRA with him, a little boy certainly wasn't among them. But he'd done his best to roll with it, as had the rest of the team, and Yuu had quickly become a part of the group.

In fact, Yuu was probably a big reason why the team had started to feel more like a family. Like the old team had. He'd rendered them _domestic._

Steve chuckled again, reached up, and grabbed a dart out of the air, inches from his neck. He turned his head to look at it, paused, and then dropped it with a curse.

His wasn't the only one, either; there was another stream of curses from outside, and then the window - too big, Steve should've known - was busted in, and Steve ducked behind the island to hide from the shower of glass.

The compound was being invaded. Shit. His heart dropped in his chest. The compound, with...

He counted one, two, five guys in through the window and grimaced, mentally plotting out a course of action. His shield was in the weapons room, but then, he was a Super Soldier. He didn't need the shield. Nothing was going to stop him from protecting his team.

"Come out, Captain," one of them called out, holding a gun in his hands, slow footsteps indicating careful circling. "You can't hide in here forever."

Five men. Two immediately on the other side of the island. Another by the table. Two between him and the door. Steve tensed, and then he sprang up and lunged.

They whirled on him with varying cries of surprise, and he slid under the first wave of bullets to knock the closest man off his feet and bang his head against the ground. One bullet just missed his temple, and the second man was down with a punch to the jaw as Steve stood back up.

A duck and a twist, and that was another wave of bullets, Steve face to face with the third man, who had the sense to swing with his fist instead of trying to shoot him. Steve blocked the first one, but took the second in the gut and doubled over, and then another, with the butt of the gun, on his head before he took the third man down, banging his head off the wall.

The two by the door were brought down almost as quickly, and then he was out, taking off at a run, blood trickling down the side of his head and a throbbing making him wince.

Bucky and Tasha were in the gym. Scott and Wanda were playing with Yuu in his playroom. Vision, Sam, and Rhodey were in the living room, watching television.

Steve's comm unit buzzed, and Bucky's voice came through.

_"Steve, Natasha's got thirteen hostiles in the gym. I'm heading for Yuu's room. Don't know about any others."_

"Understood, Buck. I'm on my way there."

Steve headed for the gym.

* * *

"C'mon, big boy, is that the best you've got?" Natasha teased, smirking. An answering smirk flickered across Bucky's face, and he lunged.

Spars between Natasha and Bucky were fairly regular, and it was interesting, to see how their styles contrasted. While they were both assassins, they had very different skillsets - one of primarily brute strength, and one of cleverness and agility.

And distraction.

Still, despite their focus, neither of them could fail to notice the way the training room window smashed, nor the round object that sailed into the room.

"Grenade!" Natasha said instantly, voice sharp as a whip, all traces of levity gone. Bucky reacted just as quickly, and the grenade was back out the window before they could blink. A second later, it blew up, and broken glass scattered across the floor. Natasha and Bucky both winced as some of it cut into their faces, but they didn't look away.

Natasha could see the exact moment that the events processed in Bucky's mind, the implications of them, and his eyes widened in alarm, and he looked at her. She nodded sharply.

"Go find Yuu!" she told him. He didn't need to be told twice; even as the intruders took advantage of the broken windows to dive in, one after another, he took off out the door, barely pausing to grab a comm from a table set against the wall.

Natasha exhaled and turned to face them, absently counting heads that would need to roll. No one messed with her team and got away with it, and they'd pay for upsetting what little security this team had.

Nine. Easy.

Unnoticed by Natasha, four had broken away and gone after Bucky.

* * *

The living room, somewhere in the middle of the compound, was a large space with a few couches, a few armchairs, and a television, which Sam, Vision, and Rhodey were watching intently.

Currently, the television was displaying a nature documentary. In the way of nature documentaries, everything shown thus far had been eaten by another animal.

"But why?" Vision wanted to know, looking away to frown at Sam and Rhodey in puzzlement. "Certainly many animals do get eaten, but not all of them. Why do they not show some of these?"

Rhodey rolled his eyes, but he looked amused. "You ask more questions than Yuu does," he told Vision instead of answering the question.

Vision frowned and started to reply, but then he tilted his head. Sam and Rhodey both sat up sharply, catching the sudden solemn look on his face.

Then they heard it, too - a rush of footsteps pounding toward them.

Sam started to look over, opened his mouth ask what the hurry was, and then ducked behind the couch as bullets sailed over his head.

"Shit!" he yelled instead. None of their weapons were readily available - the War Machine suit, his Falcon wings, the Ant-Man suit, and Steve's shield were all kept in one of the two weapon rooms.

Vision whipped around, too, moving to hover a little in the air-

And one, two, three small, mechanical devices shot out and attached themselves to his chest. Vision convulsed, and then he collapsed. Sam and Rhodey both stared at him, and then looked up at each other.

"Shit," Rhodey echoed, and then both of them were moving.

They didn't have guns, but they were Avengers for a good damn reason, and they could fight. There were nine men entering the room, guns blazing, and each of them took out three before they managed to push past and run. (Unlike most of their comrades, they were not stupidly reckless and enjoyed having their weapons at their disposal when possible.)

"What d'you think they want?" Sam asked Rhodey, breathing only a little heavily as they shot down the hall.

Rhodey glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "What does HYDRA usually want?" he asked rhetorically. "They want _us."_ More, or, he supposed, less specifically, they wanted people with powers at their disposal, or if not that, then at least not at large.

"Shit, Vision!" Sam half jerked back, looking alarmed.

"We'll get him," Rhodey promised.

They kept running.

* * *

Kanda's playroom was pretty ordinary, with a large bookshelf on one side and a toy chest of toys. It was usually messy because Kanda didn't want to clean it, and a large window let light in. Right now, he, Scott, and Wanda were constructing a convoluted structure for a marble to pass through, theoretically a mouse trap. Kanda didn't see what mice had to do with it, but whatever, it was fun.

Then the window smashed, and Scott shouted, instantly moving to shield Kanda from the debris. A few shards nicked Kanda's face regardless, but the cuts sealed within seconds, leaving only a little bit of blood behind. He wiped it away and peeked out, frowning.

There were men looking in the window. As Kanda watched, they started to hop in, and Scott cursed and stood up, keeping Yuu in his arms. Yuu reached up and held Scott around the neck, eyes widening slightly.

There were people invading the Avengers compound. And Kanda was still small. Kanda was…

Shit, he didn't know what to do.

Scott apparently did, though; he took Yuu to the small game closet as Wanda stepped forward threateningly, red magic curling around her fingers as she bared her teeth.

"Stay here," Scott hissed to him, face deadly serious even as Yuu stared up at him with wide eyes, frozen still. "Don't make any sound, okay? You're gonna be fine."

He pushed Yuu in and shut the door, and Yuu backed up, staring at the door now, mouth working silently as he pressed himself against the shelves.

Outside, there were shouts and grunts. Wanda sounded furious, shouting imprecations and threats, but Scott was quiet.

The intruders - Kanda didn't know how many of them there were - were loud, too. Yuu didn't really want to listen to them, though, because he'd figured out within minutes who they were.

HYDRA. Spouting that same spiel about… about saving humans from themselves. About using people for what they could do.

Yuu slid to one side, breath hitching slightly in fear. He didn't want to go back there. Not ever. The bear wouldn't let that happen, right?

He was shaking, frightened by the noises on the other side, and he felt tiny, ridiculously tiny, and scared.

"Wanda!" he heard Scott yell, and then another thump on the ground. "Damn it!"

"Wanda Maximoff down," one of the agents reported, and then grunted as he was presumably hit.

Scott was out there. Fighting. Wanda was down.

There were probably others in the building, too. Other teams of agents. Kanda's head lifted, paling a little further with mixed anger and fear. Others, after Bucky, and Tasha, and Steve, Sam, Rhodey, Vision-

Well, wasn't this fucking familiar?

"Ah!"

Scott's cry of pain rang out, and then stillness. No. Shit, no. Kanda's heart pounded in his ears, and something else stirred beneath his fear. Memories, feelings he'd half forgotten, and-

What was Kanda, huh? Was he a pitiful little three-year-old who couldn't do anything, or was he an exorcist? _What was he?_

Kanda reached up, pulled the handle, and shoved out.

There were plenty of bodies still on the ground, including Wanda, with a dart in her side and clearly unconscious, and Scott, dazed against the wall. Kanda took it all in within a moment, and then the two men still up, starting to turn on him.

Kanda was tiny and weak, and he didn't have his Innocence. There wasn't a lot he could do. And not much in here he could use. But there was one thing he could think of, heavy and unsteady, which Bucky had warned him about more than once-

He turned and started to scale the bookshelf.

"Dammit, Yuu, I told you to stay hidden!"

Scott's voice was rough and pained, and he tried to push himself up, but apparently was hurt worse than just the blood leaking out from under his hand, plastered to his side.

"It's the Soldier's kid," one hissed to the other. "Has to be."

"Leave the kid alone!" Scott growled, trying again to rise.

"I'll get him," said the second, starting forward and starting to put his gun down.

Scott heaved himself up and swung at the man closer to him, but a second blow had him down, and Yuu flinched but kept going, eyes narrow and teeth gritted. _Just a little farther. Hold on, damn it. Can't let them get any further. Can't let them._

"What's he doing?" the first said, slow and alarmed. "Stop him!"

"Who do you think you are?" the second demanded of the first, and apparently Scott was down for good now, because they both started forward.

_Won't let them hurt anyone else. Won't, won't, won't, won't!_

Kanda reached the top of the shelf, and it started to wobble dangerously. A small, humorless smirk stretched across his face, and he grasped the front and back the best he could, then wiggled. It shook harder.

_Won't, won't, won't!_

"Hey, kid!" The man, the second, was clearly trying his best to sound coaxing. He was failing. "Don't you want to, uh. Come down from there?"

Yuu stuck his tongue out at them. "No!" he said, and threw all his weight to the front, clinging to the back for dear life.

Sure enough, the shelf tipped, and the two men barely had time to widen their eyes before it fell on them, and they were out.

Likewise, Kanda's head smacked against the ground, and the world went black.

* * *

"Fuck!"

Bucky stumbled as a device attached itself to his arm and sent a small shock up it, instantly rendering it immobile. Rapidly, he assessed the rest of himself - just fine - and turned to confront the three men who'd been chasing him for the past five minutes, eyes blazing with anger.

"Do you really," he asked, voice low, "want to get between me and Yuu?"

He ignored the confusion on their faces, considered the most efficient way to take them out, and then moved. Blow to the knee, and the first collapsed. A kick, and he was either out or dead. Block the blow from the second, punch to the gut, knock on the head, down. The third backed off, eyes wide and terrified; Bucky took him out with a blow to his forehead.

Then he took off again. He was in a hurry, dammit.

The fourth man let out a sigh of relief and followed much more cautiously.

Within the next few minutes, Bucky almost ran, quite literally, into Rhodey's side. Both of them just barely managed to back off of each other, and then, seeing the other's pursuers, moved into a silent formation.

Four approached them. All of them were on the ground within ten minutes. Bucky nodded to Sam and Rhodey, Rhodey replied with a mocking salute and Sam with a shrug, and all of them moved on.

* * *

Yuu blinked his eyes open, feeling dazed and confused. His head hurt, and there was… yeah, that was blood on the ground, in front of his eyes.

He pushed himself upright, swayed, and looked around, frowning. Oh, yeah.

There were bodies of HYDRA officers laying all around - Kanda counted ten altogether, two of them under the bookshelf he'd toppled - and then there was Wanda, who still hadn't moved, and Scott, who looked… pretty badly hurt. Kanda made a hesitant move toward him, with half-formed thoughts of looking him over.

Then the door burst open and two men came in, panting.

"He's here," one of them said to no one in particular, and the other started forward. "We'll wait for the Winter Soldier to arrive." Pause. "Got it."

Yuu's eyes widened and he took a step back, and then he was suspended, struggling, in the air.

"Stay still, kid," the man said grimly, and Kanda stilled as he felt the unmistakable feeling of a gun barrel press to his head. "I don't like killing children, but don't think I won't do it."

Kanda's eyes darted up, and he gritted his teeth to stop the tears. Tears wouldn't help with anything. Would probably make it worse. Instead, he looked at the other man, who was pointing a gun at the door, still and deadly, and hated how little he was. How useless.

He'd been complacent. He had to have been. Because, surely, there was something he could've done. If he'd been smarter.

Kanda wasn't supposed to need saving.

* * *

It took Natasha fifteen minutes to finish off all of the intruders in the gym; she'd been playing with them. Making sure she drew as much attention to herself as possible.

Keeping a kid in an insecure compound had been a stupid idea.

She gave them all one last careful look to make sure they were down, and then turned to go, pace brisk and urgent. She needed to check on the others. How many hostiles were there? Were they being overwhelmed? What was their objective? She'd known that HYDRA was desperately gathering superhumans, but she hadn't realized they were this daring.

She didn't even entertain the idea that they'd taken anyone out for more than a few hours. They were too underprepared.

For now, she needed to go to the room where she and Bucky kept their weapons. She took a comm unit from the same table Bucky had and headed out, almost running straight into Steve, who was breathing heavily, looking a little wild.

Natasha rolled her eyes, but relaxed just enough to smile slightly. "Come on, Steve. Nine people. You weren't really worried?"

"Maybe a little," Steve admitted, and turned to go on with her while she rolled her eyes. "Where are we going?" Wait, nine? Some of them must have gone after Bucky without the man's noticing. He turned worried again.

"Weapons room," Natasha said. "How many?"

"Don't know yet," Steve replied, turning serious. "Most of the others haven't gotten back to me. I'm keeping an ear out, but it's safe to say everyone was attacked. I found Vision with a group of downed HYDRA agents in the living room."

Natasha nodded in acknowledgement, and both of them moved on.

* * *

As it turned out, there were people waiting for them in the main weapons room.

Rhodey cursed quietly and ducked a bullet, and then hit hard, breaking the last man's kneecap. He went down and Rhodey left him there, straightening up while Sam finished messing with the security and finally managed to get everything out. Sam tossed him a comm and Rhodey barely caught it, then fastened it in and listened. Steve was talking already, fast and urgent and getting to be a little frustrated.

_"Sam, Rhodey, Vision, do you read? I repeat, there's a helicopter with a bomb on the way. We need to leave, now."_

Well. Shit.

"Sam and Rhodey, we hear you," Sam replied grimly, nodding to Rhodey. "Vision's out, but we'll get him." Half a pause for thought, and then he added, "We're already in the main weapons room, so we've got the big guns, too." Meaning the shield, Ant-Man suit, etc.

_"Got it. Good thinking."_

The comms clicked off, and Rhodey donned the War Machine suit. Sounded like he'd need it.

Sam pulled on his wings, grabbed the shield, and Rhodey hauled up the Ant-Man suit (where was Scott, anyway?) before both of them got the hell out of there.

* * *

The instant Bucky arrived at Yuu's playroom, he got a bullet through his side, which was not an outstandingly good sign.

He grunted but did his best to ignore the injury as he entered, assessing the situation quickly. He did not like what he found.

There were a number of HYDRA agents sprawled on the ground in various states of injury. He ignored them and checked briefly on Scott, starting to stir, most likely roused by the sound of the gunshot, and Wanda, apparently tranquilized. And then he finally got up the nerve to look at the HYDRA agent in the middle of the room - the one who hadn't shot him.

Yuu was dangling from his grip, pale but trying to scowl, looking perhaps less frightened than Bucky might have expected but still trembling and silent, blue eyes gleaming with the threat of terrified tears. A gun was pressed to his head, and the man wore an arrogant smirk.

Bucky saw red, but he held himself back. He was a professional, and he knew how to handle a hostage situation. He _would not mess this up._ Still, he shook with silent rage, red spreading slowly across his shirt and a harsh pain ripping through his side.

"The Winter Soldier," the man greeted impatiently, nodding to his comrade, who put his gun up again, carefully aimed at Bucky, who remained cautiously still, though he wanted to wring their necks. "It's about time. Ready to come back to HYDRA?"

"Not in a dozen lifetimes," Bucky said coldly, keeping his eyes on Yuu. Yuu stared back, and Bucky nodded subtly. Yuu didn't look comforted, but there wasn't much to be done about it now.

The man laughed. It was an unfriendly, mocking sound. "We'll see about that. But I'll bet you don't want to still be in this building in, oh… about ten minutes."

If he hadn't been so still already, Bucky would have frozen. "Why not?"

"Because a helicopter's on its way to blow it up." The man's grin was far too triumphant.

Yuu apparently caught some of the implication, because his eyes widened further, round and scared, and then turned furious. Tears started to spill down his cheeks, and he jerked his head up to look, then thrashed and squirmed. Before Bucky could call out for him to _not fucking do that,_ he sank his teeth into the man's arm, and the man shouted. A shot went off, and Yuu was dropped to the ground, eyes suddenly big and blank, red dripping from his shoulder - he'd jerked off the aim that much.

Bucky _roared,_ and then he moved. The two HYDRA agents lasted maybe ten seconds, and their remains not much longer than that.

Yuu. Not Yuu. Dammit, not his _son, no! Damn it!_

 _"Bucky? Bucky, what happened?"_ Steve's voice was frantic, but Bucky ignored it for now. He tore past the limp bodies on the ground to Yuu's side, eyes darting and panicked. Yuu didn't seem to be breathing. How much blood was there in a three-year-old's body? How much trauma could they handle?

Bucky choked out something that held only the vaguest resemblance to Yuu's name, feeling Arctic cold freeze his chest. He reached out with his one working arm to cradle Yuu's head, lifting it up slightly, numb save for the blinding pain in his chest, tears already starting to fall from his eyes like the blood from his side-

And Yuu took a sharp breath, and then whimpered softly, turning into the touch.

"Y-Yuu?" Bucky breathed, pain wavering only slightly in the face of confusion. "Yuu!"

_"What happened? Bucky!"_

A few feet away, Scott was getting unsteadily to his feet, and his eyes landed on Yuu and widened; he nearly fell right back over again. Yuu whimpered again and reached for Bucky blindly, hitching sobs starting to shake his chest. Bucky met the request the best he could, barely holding back his panic. There was... How could Yuu have that much blood?

Bucky took a deep breath. "Yuu's hurt," he managed, as steady as he could. "I'm bringing him to you, Stevie." The nickname, one he'd forgotten, slipped out naturally; he didn't pay it any mind, not now. "Where are you?" None of them had any medical experience, but Steve was the best in an emergency.

 _"Secondary weapons room,"_ Steve said instantly.

"Got it," Bucky said, and then he stood up, holding Yuu as carefully as he could, pressing Yuu's shoulder to his - he couldn't carry him and stop the bleeding with his good hand at the same time. Yuu's fist curled into his shirt tightly. "I'm coming." And then, "Stevie, there's a bomb on the way. We need to get out."

_"...Got it. Hurry."_

"I've got Wanda," Scott said to Bucky's look. "You take care of Yuu."

Bucky nodded, and then he took off as quickly as he dared.

* * *

The instant Steve and Natasha arrived at the secondary weapons room, they were met with an ambush. They took down this ambush with great prejudice, and Natasha started to take out what weapons she needed.

Then they were both a little distracted for a bit as Bucky started to panic on the other end of the comm, but as soon as he was on his way, they started to prepare for him and wait.

Soon enough, Bucky stormed in, eyes wide and alarmed, and Steve reached out to take Yuu, blue eyes turning serious. Bucky seemed very reluctant to let go of him, but he soon handed him over, and Yuu cried out, at best half-conscious but still reaching for Bucky as he switched hands.

Steve felt a little sick as he looked at Yuu; much of his shirt was soaked in blood, and there was a clear bullet hole in his shoulder. Steve took a deep breath and pressed his hand to it, looking up at Bucky seriously. "He'll be okay," he said without confidence. "We'll get him to a hospital as soon as we can, alright?"

Bucky nodded unsteadily, and within five minutes, they were heading out, both assassins prepped with what weapons they'd chosen.

Outside, Scott was setting Wanda down a safe distance away, and Sam stood over Vision while Rhodey, in the War Machine armor, started to pace forward, eyes on the sky.

"Shit, how bad is it?" Rhodey asked as soon as he saw them, and Sam, almost on top of him,

"What's wrong with Yuu?

"Bad," Steve said grimly, worried. Yuu had stopped reaching for Bucky to cling to his sleeve, but he wasn't opening his eyes and his cries were weak and strained. Beneath his fingers, the bleeding was starting to slow, which was the only plus to the situation, and a poor one at that. "We need to get him to a hospital as soon as possible, if not sooner."

He knelt on the ground and tore off some of his shirt, making a makeshift bandage to wrap over Yuu's shirt, and Yuu whined and opened his eyes. Seeing this, Steve tried to smile reassuringly.

"It's okay, Yuu, you're gonna be fine," he soothed. Yuu pushed weakly at the bandage, and Steve gently pushed his hand away. "I know it hurts, but you'll be okay. We'll make sure."

"Bear?" Yuu whispered, eyes only half focused, voice stretched thin.

"Right here," Bucky said, appearing in front of Yuu. "Someone's threatened the compound, Yuu. I'll be back as soon as the threat is dealt with. I promise."

Yuu stared at him blankly for a few minutes, and then nodded and closed his eyes, stilling. Bucky jerked in panic.

"Don't go to sleep!"

Yuu opened his eyes again to look at Bucky, and then he nodded. His breath hitched painfully, and he started to cry again, soft and distraught, but he didn't close them.

A roar indicated the arrival of the helicopter, and reluctantly, Steve and Bucky both turned away. They couldn't let them drop the bomb.

Logically speaking, Kanda knew that he shouldn't be sleeping, but blood loss hadn't made him feel this weak in… really, probably ever. His shoulder burned so bad he could barely think, he couldn't stop crying, and he wanted nothing more than to pass out again. It wasn't like it would kill him, after all; he was already healing, even if it didn't really feel like it.

But Bucky asked him not to.

Yuu didn't quite process everything he was seeing, staring blankly through watery eyes, shaking with sobs and whimpers. A helicopter appeared over the compound. Sam soared through the air on shining wings. The bear and Steve and Tasha paced on the ground. Rhodey shot across the sky. There was fighting. There was always fighting. The helicopter stuttered in the air.

It was hard to see Bucky. Yuu didn't want to lose sight of him. He pushed himself dizzily to his feet and stumbled forward, not taking his eyes off the stupid bear. Breaths came thick and fast and painful. He didn't want to lose track of Bucky; he kept his eyes fixed on the bear and stumbled forward blindly. It was hard to walk. He hurt.

The helicopter collapsed. Yuu's eyes widened, and then he was on the ground again, pinned by something and screaming like a newborn baby, gasping for air and bawling at the same time. White-hot pain shot through his leg and burned through his whole tiny body.

He hated being three. He hated it! _He hated it!_ He wasn't… this… _weak!_

There were the brief sounds of a fight, but Yuu barely registered them, dazed and hurting and not paying much attention to anything except _why did it hurt so much?_

He could hear it as Bucky registered the fact that Yuu was no longer with Vision and Wanda, when he made the connection, and then turned and spotted him. _"Yuu!"_

In the next moment, the boulder was lifted off his leg, and Steve pulled him out. Kanda let out a pitiful keen and then looked at Bucky, who was clearly panicking.

Of course. Bucky still didn't know he'd heal.

But _damn_ did it hurt 'til then.

"'M okay," he mumbled, trying to stop crying because he'd been hurt _so much worse than this before,_ and he knew he'd get better, he knew he would. "'M okay, 'm fine."

"Of course you're fine," Steve said sternly, badly hiding the shake in his voice. "We're going to get you fixed up and you'll be all better."

...Well, Kanda was going to fix himself up, but that was close enough. He nodded, shaking and _he couldn't stop crying_ and he reached for Bucky, who took him instantly.

The time spent getting to the Quinjet was a hazy blur, but Kanda registered the sounds of alarm distantly, and the feeling of the bullet hole in his shoulder fixing itself up much less so, and then the feel of shards of bone being dragged to their appropriate places, which… hurt. Another anguished whine ripped out of his throat, to his distant dismay, and he felt Bucky's hand in his hair and heard him speak, fast and quiet and as gentle as Bucky could conceivably manage.

Stupidly, Kanda felt a little better.

"Okay, let's get his shirt off," Steve said, voice a little shaky, but still firm.

Kanda whined as he was shifted, but didn't resist as Bucky moved to sit him up and pull his shirt off, gentle and cautious, and then several people gasped.

The bullet wound on Kanda's shoulder finished sealing itself. Someone whistled.

"Damn, Bucky," Rhodey muttered. "What the hell did they do to your boy?"

"I don't know," Bucky said, voice tight and strained. "We need to splint his leg. Even if that is also healing, we can't risk it healing wrong."

It wouldn't, but when Yuu tried to muster the energy to tell them that, Bucky returned his hand to his forehead and he whined and relaxed against his will. It didn't matter, anyway.

He keened and whimpered as his leg was splinted, but the Quinjet was quiet for the next few minutes, and when Yuu drifted off to sleep this time, Bucky let him.

When Kanda woke up next, he looked around to see that everyone else had been treated; Vision was still unconscious and still, but Wanda was awake, holding her stomach and wincing slightly like she'd hurt something inside. Scott's head and side were both bandaged up, as were Bucky's (starting to bleed through now). Sam and Rhodey, beaten and bruised but mostly fine, had apparently taken it upon themselves to make sure everyone else got treatment, as usual. Kanda managed a small smirk, feeling tired and kinda thirsty.

"All better?" Bucky asked Yuu, sounding a little doubtful and a lot worried.

Kanda nodded, though; his leg was done healing, and it felt fine now. Well, except for the splint.

They hadn't given him his shirt back, soaked through with blood as it was, but he was wrapped up in Bucky's jacket, which he held with one hand. Kanda thought that it smelled like Bucky, and then immediately felt stupid. Obviously. It was Bucky's.

He looked out the window, and his eyes widened slightly at the _largest_ city he'd ever seen, which they were now hovering over. At that moment, Steve messed with the radio and then started to speak.

"Captain Steve Rogers asking to speak to Tony Stark."

The rest of the Avengers went still, and Yuu tilted his head up to look at Steve's slightly strained face. A few moments passed.

_"The boss wants to know why the man with a plan needs to speak to him."_

The feminine voice made Yuu tilt his head curiously, and Steve looked briefly startled before grimacing and replying.

"The compound got attacked, it's not safe. We need a place to stay, for tonight at least." Steve paused, and at the woman's continued silence, he added, "We have a child on board, and several of us need medical attention. If he can, I'd also like him to take a look at Vision."

_"Well, why didn't you say so, Rogers?"_

The too-cheerful voice, a man's, made Yuu start, and Bucky placed a hand on his head to settle him again.

 _"Come on down,"_ the new voice continued. _"Have a drink. Relax."_ More seriously, he added, _"Is it urgent? I have some facilities here, I'm sure you remember, but if you'd rather go somewhere else I can arrange that too."_

"No, it's fine," Steve said heavily, clearly relieved. He sat down. "I'd like to take an x-ray of Yuu's leg, and Wanda might have a minor internal injury, but we're okay, I think. Can you call a doctor over?"

 _"Of course, who do you take me for?"_ the man replied instantly. And then, _"Who's Yuu?"_

Steve nodded to Rhodey, who started to pilot the Quinjet down, and replied, "The kid I mentioned." After a moment of hesitation, "Bucky's son."

There was a short, tense pause, and then the man said cheerfully, _"He's welcome too, of course. He can play with Lavi."_

_"Yay!"_

Yuu started hard, sitting up straight with wide eyes. _No way. No fucking way._

_Lavi?_


	21. A Sort of Spar

"You… little… _demon!"_

Oh, no.

Allen's breath caught in his chest and he squeezed under the crib as far as he could, eyes wide and terrified. She'd been getting worse and worse, hating him more and more and more, and… And now she'd gotten news, he didn't know what she'd learned, but she was _so angry, so angry._

He didn't care anymore; he squealed and screamed as she put her hand under, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him out. He screamed and flailed and tried to kick; she held him too tight for him to struggle properly, though, and he could barely squirm.

_Let me go! Let me go!_

He didn't want this. He wanted to be gone. He wanted _her_ gone.

_Let me go! Don't touch me!_

"I know you did something!"

Alcohol again. He cringed away, tears spilling down his cheeks, and tried to snarl at her, silver eyes wide. She shook him and he whimpered; it hurt. It hurt. _Stop it. Stop touching me._

"I don't know what you did, little demon brat, but you did something! _That's how they know where I am, and that's why I can't leave!"_

Allen had no idea what she was talking about, he was pretty sure she was delusional now, and he didn't really care. He just needed to _get… down…_

_Don't touch me, don't touch me, leave me alone!_

He was scared, he was really scared, and he wanted her to put him down, before she took him to the cabinet or- He was shrieking, screaming and wailing, and he _couldn't stop-_

_"Shut up!"_

Her huge hand clamped on his throat and she released his wrist and Allen stopped screaming. And he didn't hear another word she said; his ears rang and his heart beat too fast, and...

_I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, LET ME GO!_

He was scared. He hurt. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't do more than swat weakly at her wrist, his feet kicking helplessly in the air, but he didn't want to die, he wouldn't, he wouldn't, he… needed… to...

Allen passed out.

He woke up a few hours later, in his crib, coughing weakly, genuinely surprised that he was still alive. But Marlisa wasn't that person yet. Not yet.

Allen was so scared.

* * *

The Quinjet landed with a jolt that made half its occupants wince in pain, and then shuddered to a halt as Steve released the controls. For a moment, all of them stayed silent, unwilling to be the first to move.

Wanda leaned against Scott, one arm around her stomach, grimacing slightly. He was wincing a little himself; his head injury and the graze on his side were taking their toll. Vision was eerily still, propped up in a seat, and Natasha and Sam sat across from each other with mirrored grim faces.

Bucky sat alone, tense and angry, brow furrowed in frustration. One arm hung limp, but the other cradled Yuu close, as if he was afraid that the moment he let go, Yuu would vanish. Maybe he was.

Finally, Natasha sighed and stood up. "Alright, boys, up and at 'em. Naptime's over."

Steve smiled wearily and stood up as well, followed by Sam, then Scott and Wanda, Rhodey carrying Vision, and finally, reluctantly, Bucky, still holding Yuu.

Steve understood; Bucky had only just adjusted to the compound, and he was wary of moving Yuu to a new place, one where he'd never been before. After what had happened, he'd be ten times as protective of his son.

But they were all exhausted, and injured, and Vision, who was still unconscious, was starting to worry Steve. And while Steve and Tony might have their differences, Steve didn't for a moment believe that Tony would do anything but his very best to keep them safe. Bucky met Steve's gaze, read it with the ease of long practice, and nodded. Yuu held his gaze for a moment before turning his face into Bucky's chest, fist clenched in his shirt. Steve knew the proud boy would never admit it, but he'd been shaken by the day's events, too.

The Avengers disembarked the Quinjet in ones and twos, quiet and at once grim and tired. They entered the building like that, crossing from concrete to carpet with dragging steps.

Tony was waiting for them inside, arms crossed and leaning casually back on the wall like he owned the place, which he did. At his feet, a little redheaded boy fidgeted impatiently. It took Steve a moment to realize that this was Lavi.

Steve almost smiled. "He's gotten so big," he told Tony, and a bitter smile flicked across the other man's face.

"'Course he has. It's been nearly a year, after all. Must've gotten lost in all your other ones if you hadn't noticed, grandpa."

It was a weak jab and they both knew it. Steve almost feel Natasha rolling her eyes at both of them. Fortunately, Lavi spared them any further awkwardness by tearing across the No Man's Land between them to throw himself at Steve, squealing.

"Steeeve!"

Steve caught the little boy, winced slightly at the pull of healing bruises, and couldn't help but chuckle. He'd missed little Lavi. "Hey, little tyke. How've you been? Not getting up to too much trouble?"

"Noo!" Lavi protested. "Daddy teaching me 'botics an' Mommy takes me t'board meetings and says boring things." He peeked past Steve. "Tasha! Mommy miss you!"

"I missed Pepper too, zaichik," Natasha said warmly, popping Lavi on the nose for a giggle. "Are you being good for her?" Conspiratorially, she added, "I don't mind if you weren't good for your daddy."

Lavi giggled, and then he looked past Natasha, too. His vivid green eyes landed on Yuu's navy, and for a moment, both of them stared at each other. Lavi tilted his head slightly, and Yuu gazed back, eyes dark with something unreadable.

Then Lavi grinned, big and bright, and waved. "Yuu!" he called out happily, a plethora of emotions even Natasha couldn't hope to decode weaving through the tone. "Hi!"

Yuu, who had thus far been staring at Lavi like he couldn't believe his eyes, smirked and rolled his eyes. "Stupi' rabbit," he tossed back ."Time an' place."

Lavi's face fell and turned serious, and in the next breath, Tony swept forward and drew their attention.

"Alright, ladies and boys, meet and greet's over. Except you." He pointed at Scott, who was holding himself awkwardly even as he supported Wanda, wincing. "I don't know you."

Scott smiled, painfully polite. "Scott Lang. You probably know me as Ant-Man."

"Gotcha, shrink," Tony agreed cheerfully. "Now, I've called a doctor and she's on her way, but 'til then, I'm pretty sure protocol demands that all injured must be confined and strapped to bed, right, Capsicle?"

Steve rolled his eyes, a familiar wash of fond exasperation rolling over him. "Don't exaggerate, Stark."

Tony shared a grin with Lavi, and Natasha cleared her throat and nodded to the injured, which made Tony turn serious again.

Tony may be prone to mistakes and rash decisions, but he was brilliant in a crisis. Steve had to give him that much.

On the medical floor, Steve let Lavi down while Sam and Rhodey corralled Wanda, Scott, and Bucky into beds, Vision safely laid out on a fourth.

Bucky, still rattled, kept Yuu safely ensconced in his lap, metal arm hanging uselessly but flesh wrapped around his son like a shield. Lavi scrambled instantly up beside him and then, to Steve's surprise, hugged Yuu tightly, around Bucky's arm.

Yuu struggled and squirmed; ruefully, Steve noted that he at least _seemed_ alright now. "Ge' off me, stupi' rabbit!"

Lavi let go and sat back to grin at Yuu, eyes sparkling, and for some reason, Yuu flushed slightly and cast his eyes to the ground.

"Gonna cut you up," Yuu muttered mulishly. Lavi just laughed and tipped his head back to grin at Bucky, who frowned down at him, unsure of what to think.

Lavi had it handled, though; he stuck his hand out, grinning cheerfully. "Hi! I'm Lavi! Are you Yuu's daddy?"

Bucky considered him for a long moment before reluctantly taking Lavi's tiny hand and shaking it. "I am. Are you Stark's son?"

"Uh-huh!" Lavi confirmed, grin never wavering.

Lavi was, in all honesty, _thrilled._ He'd been so worried that he was alone, but Yuu- Yuu was _right there,_ scowling and pouting and _perfectly okay._

Lavi was really glad that Yuu was okay.

Yuu finally glanced back up from the ground, flush still coloring his cheeks, and Lavi caught a hint of his own relief reflected in his old friend's eyes, set over chubby cheeks, big and childish.

Keeping his smile, Lavi tilted his head inquisitively at Bucky. An answering smile, brief but genuine, flickered across Yuu's face, and the other boy shrugged. Lavi's grin widened, warm and pleased.

Yuu had a daddy, too? Good. He deserved one. He got too much crap.

"-and I can x-ray Yuu's leg myself while FRIDAY runs some scans on Vision," Tony finished triumphantly, drawing Lavi's attention. Lavi frowned and looked at Yuu again, who snorted and crossed his arms.

"'M fine," he muttered irritably, and Lavi grinned. Same old Yuu.

"Can you do this now?" Bucky asked, and Tony nodded.

"Of course! Obviously, didn't I just say that? Here, I'll take Lavi and you take Yuu, and we can leave the boys in the room to bond while I do the scan."

Tony's eyes flickered to Lavi's, and Lavi nearly collapsed in relief. He'd been worried that he wouldn't get a chance to talk to Yuu alone, but it looked like his dad had that covered. He had the _best_ dad, clearly.

Bucky, though, instantly turned suspicious. "You want me to leave Yuu in the room _alone?"_ he asked, voice deepening into a dangerous growl.

Lavi felt sort of insulted. Tony had _just_ said that he'd be with Yuu.

Tony, on the other hand, smiled, strangely understanding. "It's just for a minute. We'll be able to see them the entire time, and I'll be able to show you the x-ray and answer any questions."

After a long moment of strained silence, Bucky finally took a deep breath and nodded jerkily, still looking rather conflicted. Tony smiled.

"Thanks, Barnes."

It took ten minutes to get the boys settled in the x-ray room, one of Yuu's legs stretched out under a thick sheet, and Lavi slightly behind him, sitting up. Yuu was propping himself up on one arm, half twisted to keep Lavi in sight.

As soon as the door fell shut behind the two adults, Yuu demanded, "Rabbit, _what?"_

Ah, Yuu. Lavi had missed him.

"I dunno," Lavi confessed, and Yuu scowled at him. Lavi laughed and continued, "I didn' even know anyone else was… Here." Alive.

"...Me, either," Yuu admitted, visibly reluctant. His head dipped, and his shoulders shook. His breath hitched, but he didn't cry. "Didn' think…"

"Yeah," Lavi agreed softly. "Yeah."

* * *

Bucky woke up, as usual, at exactly 7 in the morning, with Yuu curled up against his chest, fast asleep, using Bucky's metal arm of death as a blanket. Bucky watched him with a small smile for who-knew-how-long, but eventually it morphed into a pensive frown.

He hadn't brought it up, because getting settled into Stark Tower - now, apparently, once again Avengers Tower - was difficult for both of them, but he had a lot of questions for Yuu.

Like how he'd been able to heal that way. How much he knew about his own past. If he knew anything about the questions Bucky'd been wondering about for some time, about the crosses on Yuu's wrists or the symbol on his shoulder. _How he knew English._

He didn't move, though, so it was 7:23 before Yuu stirred, shifting and then tilting his head back to look at him blearily.

"Good morning," Bucky told him, watching Yuu blink navy eyes and frown.

"Mornin'," Yuu mumbled, squirming out from under Bucky's arm and sitting up on his knees. He rubbed at his eye with one fist and asked, "We staying here?"

Yuu had taken to asking that every time he woke up; he seemed strangely worried by the idea of leaving. Bucky sighed and placed his hand on Yuu's head, making him stop rubbing and frown up at him. "Yes, Yuu, we're staying."

Yuu smiled briefly and then hopped off the bed. Bucky chuckled quietly and rolled over to stand up as well, and Yuu scurried ahead of him to hop at the door impatiently, borrowed purple dragon pajamas flapping.

"We need to dress you first," Bucky informed him, making Yuu huff but move back to the bed. He was still waiting there impatiently when Bucky emerged from the closet with a small and a large set of clothes.

Bucky dressed himself first while Yuu fidgeted impatiently, and then knelt in front of Yuu to help him dress as well. However, no sooner did he pull Yuu's pajama shirt off than he went still.

Yuu tilted his head and frowned at him. "Bear?"

Bucky was focused on the little symbol on Yuu's shoulder. He reached out with his human hand and brushed his fingers over it, and Yuu went still as well, eyes widening slightly, looking at Bucky.

"Yuu," Bucky said quietly. "What is this?"

Yuu looked a little unnerved, but he tried to hide it, huffing. "Always have it, stupi' bear. You know."

Yes. Yes, Bucky did, except he didn't know how long 'always' extended. Because he _couldn't fucking remember._ "Yuu, do you know where it came from?"

Yuu shut his mouth, and for a long moment, he just stared at Bucky, and then he crossed his arms obstinately. Bucky grew worried.

"How were you able to heal?" he pushed, moving his hand to curl around Yuu's shoulder, steadying and a little desperate. Yuu dropped his gaze and scowled at the ground. "What are the crosses on your wrists? Yuu, _how do you know English?"_

Bucky stopped abruptly, cutting himself off. Tears were gathering in Yuu's eyes, and he was still scowling, refusing to speak, face pinched and splotched with unhappy pink. Bucky considered for a long moment, worried, and then finally asked,

"Do you know?"

Yuu reached up and scrubbed roughly at his eyes, and nodded.

"Can you tell me?"

Yuu shook his head. Bucky stared at him, an unnerving helpless feeling curling in his chest - _why not?_ \- but finally he sighed, patting Yuu's shoulder and reaching for his clothes.

"Okay, Yuu. I won't make you tell me. But I'm going to ask again."

Yuu made a soft, disgruntled sound, but he didn't resist as Bucky started to dress him in a little dark green shirt and a pair of overalls. Neither of them spoke through the whole process, until Bucky gave Yuu his socks to put on.

Yuu bent down and pulled the first one on, and then, halfway through the second, he paused, but didn't take his eyes off the sock.

Bucky frowned. "Yuu?"

"Same answer," Yuu said, softly and nonsensically.

"...I'm not sure I understand." Bucky shifted and frowned at him. "What has the same answer?"

"...Alla those questions. They got the same answer."

"Oh." Bucky considered that, brow furrowing. That could mean many things, the most likely of which was that it was HYDRA's fault. Yuu didn't look like he wanted to say anything else, though, so Bucky nodded. "I understand."

"Liar," Yuu mumbled, but he was smiling slightly as he finished pulling the sock on. Bucky reached for the hairbrush, and Yuu waited impatiently while Bucky brushed his hair, and, when Bucky finished, hopped off the bed. "Go now?"

Bucky nodded, and Yuu scurried over the door to wait again, though apparently much less eager than before. Bucky crossed the room and opened the door, but took Yuu's hand before they went anywhere; it would be far too easy to get lost in a place like this, where they even had their own floor. (Apparently Stark had not been as surprised by their arrival as he'd claimed; he'd modeled floors for all of the newer Avengers at some point, and had apparently even deduced enough from newscaps to figure out who would be best with who - Bucky and Yuu were currently sharing a floor with Scott.)

"Lavi and Steve are both in the common floor living room," FRIDAY said suddenly, making both of them start violently. "Additionally, the boss is in his lab, Mrs. Potts is in her office, and Natasha is in her room, but awake."

Bucky stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, and then shook his head incredulously. "Thank you, FRIDAY," he told the ceiling, with a slight undercurrent of dry sarcasm he hadn't used in years. Yuu smirked softly, and they both entered the elevator, which took them down to said common floor without prompting. Bucky sighed.

Stark was weird.

In the living room, Steve was smiling fondly at Lavi, who was kneeling on the couch beside him, chattering and gesticulating wildly, green eyes sparkling. (Lavi had the same crossmarks on his wrists Yuu did, which raised a whole new set of questions.) Steve had admitted to Bucky, once or twice, that he'd missed the little tyke; it looked like Lavi had missed him, too.

As soon as Lavi saw them, though, he exclaimed "Yuu!" and scrambled off the couch to dart over to them. Yuu growled softly, squeezing Bucky's hand before he let go to cross his arms.

"What you want, stupi' rabbit?"

Bucky still hadn't figured out whether or not Lavi and Yuu were getting along well.

Lavi didn't look bothered by the nickname; he grinned widely and waved at Yuu. "Mornin', Yuu! Didja dream of butterflies and flowers?"

Yuu growled at Lavi and sniped, "No, 'cause I'm not a _girly boy,_ 'nlike _somebody."_

Bucky chuckled quietly and left both boys to it, instead going to sit beside Steve, who was laughing quietly, shaking his head. He waved at Bucky as he approached, smile not wavering in the slightest.

"I can't decide if they're best friends or if they're doomed to never get along," he murmured, apparently agreeing with Bucky. "They really hit it off, though, didn't they?"

"If that's hitting it off, I'd hate to see 'hating each other on sight'," Bucky muttered, smiling slightly. Steve grinned, but it quickly faded.

"Buck. Did you…" He trailed off, glancing at Yuu with concern even as the boy growled and physically snatched at Lavi, who danced away, laughing. Bucky turned serious.

"I tried. Didn't find anything out." He shook his head. "I don't know what's up with him, Steve, but whatever it is, he won't talk about it. Not to me."

"And if not to you, then probably not to anyone," Steve concluded, sighing. Bucky shrugged and turned his head to watch Yuu chase Lavi around the room, yelling about cutting him open. Yuu had such a graphic imagination sometimes.

"So, what's up with you and Stark? Still not talking?"

Steve wrinkled his nose. "Ah, sort of. We've called a bit of a truce. I think Pepper still hasn't forgiven him."

Bucky smirked briefly. "Woman like that could be mad at me all she wants," he said, and the joke felt weird on his tongue, but the startled, beaming grin that lit up Steve's face was worth it.

"She's taken, Bucky," Steve replied, apparently on autopilot, eyes still sparkling.

"Well, damn," Bucky said, not meaning a word and completely missing Lavi dragging Yuu out of the room. "Think they'd be up for a threesome?"

"Bucky!" Steve turned bright red, and Bucky grinned, honestly grinned. And it felt good.

He'd missed Steve.

* * *

"Where the fuck you takin' me?" Kanda demanded of Lavi, who grinned at him; apparently he still hadn't gotten over the thrill of being _sure_ he wasn't alone.

And, okay, Kanda might be a little happy about that too. Just a little.

"Daddy's in his workshop!" Lavi told him cheerfully. Kanda got fed up and twisted his wrist out of Lavi's grip; Lavi's grin never faltered. "I wan' you to meet 'im."

Kanda's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I _did_ meet him."

"Not for real!" Lavi told him, grin widening impossibly. "'Cause see, he _knows._ Him an' Mommy."

Yuu's eyes widened. "You _told_ them?"

Lavi bobbed his head, reaching up to push the door open. "Uh-huh! I'm kinda surprised you didn'." Then he thought about it a little more. "Well, maybe not." And then, seeing that they were inside, he called out, "Daddy!"

"Lavi, little buddy!" Tony, who'd been sitting with his back to them, apparently working with something on his… holograms, whatever, sat up and whirled around, spreading his arms in greeting. "Brought your friend?"

"Yeah!" Lavi assured him. He pushed Yuu forward, and Yuu growled and swatted at him, not looking at Tony. "This is Yuu! He's like me, see?"

"Not really," Tony admitted cheerfully. "But it's good to meet Yuu." He grinned, and Kanda scowled at him blackly.

"It's _not funny!"_ he growled at him, navy eyes snapping with irritation. And then, to Lavi, "What the _fuck_ didja tell him?"

Lavi turned serious, smile falling into a straight line, but it was Tony who answered, standing up and striding over to them, all arrogance and show.

"Not much," Tony said, a strange mixture of careful and carefully maintained cheer. "I know that you're Lavi's friend, that you were in the Order a lot longer than he was, and that the Order did _something_ awful to you, but not what." He cocked an eyebrow at Yuu, who scowled at him. "That was what you were worried about, right?"

"...Yeah," Kanda muttered, turning his scowl to the ground and relaxing slightly.

"Yuu doesn't like ta talk 'bout things," Lavi explained to Tony, cheer returning en force. "He hasn' even told _Bucky!"_

At that, Tony looked genuinely surprised, and maybe a little alarmed; Kanda scowled at him until he shrugged with forced carelessness and leaned back on nothing, casual as anything.

"Yuu have that choice, I guess," he said offhandedly, and Kanda scowled at him again.

"Shut up!"

Tony laughed and got up, crossing toward them, and Kanda stared at him suspiciously as he crouched in front of him and held out his hand.

"It _is_ good to meet you, though," Tony said, and Kanda stared at him for a moment before finally reaching out to grasp his hand in tiny fingers.

"Could be worse," he muttered, and both Tony and Lavi laughed, Tony straightening up again.

"So what happened?" Lavi asked Kanda, prodding him until Kanda swatted his hand with a glare.

"CROW got me while I was at home, cut me open from my gut to my shoulder," Kanda snapped at him. Lavi flinched, worry and pain crossing his eyes, and Kanda forced himself to calm down a little, no matter how much he wanted to rage. (It had been so unfair. So unfair…) "Then when I woke up, HYDRA had grown me in a tank. The bear probably thinks that the tattoo an' stuff is HYDRA's fault, by the way, so I wanna keep it like that."

Tony, pretending to work, tensed slightly, swallowing. _Well, shit._ He'd heard so much about Yuu he almost felt like he knew him already, and that… was a very unpleasant thing to hear. He'd need to see about finding out more; he wouldn't just sit around and let these kids hurt. Not today and not ever.

"The bear?" Lavi questioned with interest, passing over the obvious implications of the tank comment for now. Kanda rolled his eyes.

 _"Dad,"_ he explained, exasperated.

"You call Bucky _the bear?"_ Tony, effectively distracted, asked with glee, watching them both avidly. Kanda scowled at him belligerently, again.

"Yeah. 'Cause I didn' know his name 'fore. Obviously."

"Obviously," Tony agreed, amused and relaxing slightly. Good to know that Yuu had someone to look after him, after all. "I am _never_ letting him live that down."

Lavi giggled, and Kanda growled at both of them.

"Yuu won't ever live your name down, either," Lavi said with a grin at Kanda, who didn't miss a beat before tackling Lavi outright, and both of them wrestled, turning over and over and rolling across the ground while Tony laughed at both of them.

This lasted right up until Dummy wheeled over to see what all the commotion was about, and nudged them apart with a powerful push of his 'hand', whirring in confusion. Yuu stared at him.

"The fuck?" Kanda asked the bot.

"That's Dummy," Lavi told him.

"Awesome," Kanda said sarcastically, letting his head thump to the ground. "More 'bots."

Lavi grinned. "Reminds you of Komulin, right?"

"Yeah," Kanda replied without thinking, and his eyes widened slightly, and then he _almost_ smiled.

It was kinda nice to remember, Kanda decided, except, obviously, for when it wasn't.

For a few moments, both boys were silent. Dummy chirped concernedly, leaning over them, and Tony glanced over, considering them with a deep furrow in his brow and a frown tugging at his mouth.

"Hey, Yuu?" Lavi asked suddenly, a lot softer and a lot more vulnerable. Kanda sat up to frown at him.

"What, stupid rabbit?"

"...Do you think the others are here, too?" Lavi looked worried, and it didn't take long for Kanda to follow his train of thought and turn solemn as well.

"Yeah, I do, stupid rabbit."

"...Think they're in trouble?"

"They _better_ not be," Kanda growled, but he was worried, too.

After all, he and Lavi had come out alright, but Lenalee and Allen had pretty bad luck. They might not have.

Abruptly, Kanda rolled over, startling Dummy into rolling back, and looked at Lavi intently. "An' wha' happened t'you? How they get you?"

Lavi looked away, face pinched. "Got me in th' Black Hills. USA. Caught me by surprise." He hiccuped, face flushing with distress. "I burned."

Tony flinched. He didn't like to think about that much more than Lavi did, and fire had been featured more in his nightmares lately than water had.

Kanda studied him for a moment, but his face was strained. His face was blotchy with the effort it took to remain reserved. "Wanna…" His voice wavered. He clenched his jaw and tried again. "I feel too small."

...Too small? Of course. They'd been stripped of most of their independence.

Deliberately, Tony turned away. Well, he wasn't going to try and make that in particular any harder than it was already.

Lavi glanced back to him, the redness fading from his face as his look turned thoughtful, almost hopeful. "...We can try an' ge' strong," he offered hesitantly.

"...Yeah." Kanda stood up and held out a hand, face strangely serious and solemn for such a little boy, and Lavi took it, letting Kanda haul him to his feet.

Ten minutes later, they were sparring, in tiny bodies unsuited to the task with memories of exactly how these fights should go. It was frustrating.

But they'd get better.

* * *

It was a while after that when both boys returned to the common floor to claim breakfast, mostly satisfied for now, and Tony followed because he needed his fix of coffee after his all-nighter.

Scott had appeared, and was eating cereal in the kitchen. Lavi's eyes lit up on seeing him, and he scurried over to man's feet to grin up at him. Yuu was only a few steps behind.

"I feel abandoned," Tony complained, making a beeline for the coffee machine. "What the hell, Lang? What do you give these kids, candy?"

"Sometimes," Scott said with a small, slightly awkward smile. He still wasn't completely comfortable around the billionaire. Instead of further engaging the other adult, he looked down at the two kids, who looked back up at him expectantly. "What's up, Yuu, Lavi? Did something interesting happen, or was Tony just being Tony?"

"Daddy was being Daddy," Lavi said happily, and ignored Tony's sputtering. "What you having?"

Scott shrugged and helped Lavi clamber up onto a stool, and then Yuu climbed up before he could likewise be helped. "Boring Cheerios. Do you want to try?"

Lavi considered the bowl, and then shook his head decisively. "Nah! They look gross."

"Maybe to you," Scott said with a small smile, turning back to his bowl. "What about you, Yuu? I know you don't like sweets."

"You don't like sweets?" Tony asked Kanda, horrified. Kanda ignored him and nodded, and chewed the spoonful Scott offered thoughtfully.

"I like 'em," Yuu declared at last, peering at them thoughtfully. "But I like toast better."

Yuu was very stuck in his ways for a small child, Scott noted with amusement. "Fair enough. I'll keep these, then."

At that point, Tony finished his first cup of coffee and took the opportunity to pop some bread into the toaster, something even he couldn't mess up. Both boys liked toast, only Lavi liked his with jam.

All four of them were just finishing up when Bucky entered, and coincidentally, this was the same moment when Kanda swatted Lavi for trying to steal the last of his toast.

"Yuu!" Bucky said sternly, making Yuu freeze guiltily. "What did I say about hitting?"

"...Don' hit," Yuu muttered sulkily. Lavi's eyes lit up with glee, but fortunately for him, he had the good sense not to laugh aloud. It was a fairly new rule, and Kanda still could hardly believe the indignity of it. (Not to mention, that was exactly what he and Lavi had spent the last hour doing.)

"That's right," Bucky agreed, and it was good that Yuu wasn't looking at him, because he was having a little trouble maintaining a straight face himself. (It was Steve, actually, who had insisted that he curb Yuu's violence early.) "You know what that means, don't you?"

Yuu hunched down and scowled at the counter. "...Time out."

Lavi giggled. Sure, he'd been subjected to time-out a few times himself, and it sucked, but still. This was _Kanda,_ and it was _so funny._ Kanda growled at him irately, but at Bucky's pointed clearing of the throat, he hopped down from the stool and shuffled over to Bucky, scowling at the ground.

"Sit by the television," Bucky instructed him, stern expression twitching slightly with amusement. "You will be in time out for five minutes."

Kanda grunted unhappily and stomped over to the television, then plopped down and closed his eyes, trying to ignore Lavi's badly muffled giggles.

Well, now would be as good a time as any to take another stab at meditation. Take that, time out.

Anyway, it was about time he stopped giving in to his age. It was making him weak.

Meanwhile, Lavi had taken an interest in the android who had just entered.

He'd seen him around, of course; hell, Tony had worked on him for an entire day before he was up and running, and Lavi had popped in a few times during that. He had JARVIS' voice.

Lavi kinda wanted to know what else he had of JARVIS. Except, he also kinda didn't.

You didn't gain anything by being afraid, though, so he scurried over to the android and beamed up at him, while Vision looked down at him curiously. Yup, there was no missing the spark of recognition in those eyes.

"Lavi?" Vision asked in JARVIS' voice, and Lavi very pointedly didn't flinch.

"Yeah!" Lavi chirped. "An' you're Vision!"

"That is correct," Vision affirmed, seating himself on the couch. Lavi didn't wait to be invited, hopping up to seat himself on Vision's lap, not taking his bright green eyes off him. "What business have you with me, Lavi?"

Lavi was glad no one was paying attention to them. He really was.

He shrugged, eyes wide and innocent. "I haven' talked to you yet." He considered. "Or Wanda." The Scarlet Witch was a hard woman to find, even living with them.

"Wanda does not respond well to change," Vision agreed, solemn. "She will adjust, however." He considered Lavi for a moment. "Did you wish to talk to me about yourself?"

Lavi shrugged. Well, that answered that question. "I miss JARVIS," he admitted instead of answering, but then he said, "Can we be friends?"

Vision studied him, frowning. "I am not JARVIS," he reminded him reproachfully.

Lavi shrugged. "I know. But Yuu likes you, right?"

"...He does." Vision looked thoughtful again.

Lavi nodded. "Then we can be friends." He tapped Vision on the nose and giggled when the android went cross-eyed, startled. "An' friends can share secrets with friends, right? 'Cause they don' tell."

"Of course," Vision replied, offering a small smile. "Your secrets are safe with me, Lavi Stark."

Lavi grinned at him, and then turned his attention to Bucky, who glanced at the clock and nodded.

"Yuu's time out is over," Bucky announced, and though Lavi was sure that Yuu had heard, he glanced over and… oh. Looks like Yuu finally managed to meditate. Must've been trying really hard, Lavi mused.

Scott glanced over, saw something slightly different from Lavi, and chuckled. "I'll tell him," he said, starting to rise.

"Don'," Lavi said suddenly, making both men start and look at him. Vision, however, studied him thoughtfully, and Lavi tried not to wince; Yuu would _kill_ him if he gave him away, even to Vision. "He's meditating, see? Don' bug him."

Scott and Bucky both stared at Yuu, perfectly still, and then Scott shrugged and sat back down.

"Your kid is weird," he told Bucky, and Bucky didn't deny it, gazing at Kanda thoughtfully.

* * *

Kanda hadn't been able to see, before, why Lenalee loved to fly so much. Now he could.

It was honestly _fun,_ hovering in the air, supported only by the red glow of Wanda's magic. Lavi was across from him, and blocks floated haphazardly around them; he had to admire Wanda's concentration, releasing each one just as one of them grabbed it, while simultaneously sending more up and placing some of her own.

Yuu peeked down. Wanda was smiling faintly up at them, a sparkle in her eyes, and he smiled, then looked back up and grabbed another block, which fell obediently into his hand, and kicked a little, wanting to go up a little higher.

"Holy _shit_ why is that tower so high?"

Kanda looked down again and smirked at Sam's horrified, morbidly fascinated expression.

"Hate to say it, but Scott might have a point when he says that you people get up to some strange things," Sam said to Wanda with a rueful smile. Wanda shrugged at him, smile fading only slightly.

"The children enjoy it," she explained, and then placed three blocks at once, lifting both children up to match. Lavi squeaked happily and Kanda smirked at him.

"I'm sure," Sam chuckled, tilting his head back to look at them. "And that has _nothing_ to do with the fact that they're, what, seven feet in the air? You're gonna give Bucky a heart attack."

"Eight," Wanda corrected, focus never wavering. "And everyone is enjoying themselves, so why should Bucky concern himself with it?"

Sam stared at her. "I feel like I should be worried," he admitted, and Wanda positively _smirked._

At that moment, Lavi reached over and tugged playfully at Kanda's hair, and Kanda snarled at him and struggled to get at him, no hitting rule be damned. Wanda considered and then prudently, if reluctantly, decided to let the two children down, and Kanda chased Lavi around the room, growling death threats and something about putting out his eye.

"I'm pretty sure they're friends," Sam decided. "Do you think they're friends?"

Wanda watched both of them wistfully, and was silent for long enough that Sam glanced up at her, brow furrowing in concern.

"No," Wanda said at last, smile soft and sad. "I do not think that they are friends. I think that they are brothers."

Sam blinked at her, and then looked again at the two boys. A small smile played about his mouth.

"Yeah. Maybe they are."


	22. Blood Brothers

"One, two, three!" Lavi chanted, and then both he and Kanda grunted as they shoved hard against the door, with Lavi hanging off the handle.

It took a lot of effort, but eventually, the door groaned open, and both four-year-olds tumbled out of the Quinjet onto the concrete.

A moment later, though, Lavi bounced back up, bright green eyes seeking out a certain house, with a high window on the side and the door shut tight.

Kanda, too, climbed back to his feet, and he turned to shut the door, scowling. "This better be worth it, stupid rabbit." His shoulders were riddled with tension, a weird, anxious twist to his face; obedience didn't come naturally to Kanda Yuu, but Bucky had wrangled it out of him anyway.

Lavi shifted impatiently from foot to foot, eyes round and worried, half a step from wringing his hands. "I dunno, Yuu. I told you, 's just a bad feeling."

Kanda rolled his eyes at him and took off at a trot toward the house, and Lavi scurried after him. And Lavi mused again on his bad feeling.

The day before, Steve had announced a 'weekend trip' with himself, Bucky, Tony, Natasha, Lavi, and Kanda. He acted excited, but apparently being with Natasha hadn't taught him anything about lying, because Lavi could still see the worry in his eyes.

Later, Tony had explained to Lavi and Kanda that the US government had decided to meet officially with the Avengers. They had unanimously decided to evacuate the assassins and the kids, and left the newer Avengers behind to handle the diplomacy.

So they'd spent the day in Berlin, and Lavi would admit, it had been _fun._ Kanda hopped up on sugar was the _most hilarious thing ever,_ and Bucky's confused alarm was almost as great. It had even been a little funny when all the candy finally made Kanda throw up.

Then, early this morning, Tony had accidentally woken Lavi, swearing into the phone. When he finally hung up and tossed the phone onto the bed, he'd spent ten minutes pacing around and muttering before he finally answered Lavi's increasingly anxious inquiries.

Apparently, the government had asked that the conveniently located Avengers, as a _favor,_ arrest Marlisa von Strucker for being party to international terrorism, and turn her into the German government before they returned.

Lavi had asked if that was supposed to _improve_ foreign relations, and Tony had barely flashed him a distracted smile.

And that was when Lavi's bad feeling had started.

That was what led them here, scurrying from where the Quinjet had landed, a bit outside the city boundaries, to a house on the outskirts.

Reaching the window brought the second obstacle, the first having been the door, and both four-year-olds stared blankly up at the high pane of glass.

Finally, Kanda gave a heavy, put-upon sigh, and dropped to the ground, on his hands and knees. "Get on," he ordered.

Lavi blinked at him in confusion and tilted his head. "Huh?"

Kanda wriggled his butt impatiently, scowling at Lavi over his shoulder. "I said _get on,_ stupi' rabbit. You being twitchy an' it's annoying, an' you won' calm down 'til you see whatever you wanna see." He huffed. "You weigh less than nothing, anyway."

"Oh," Lavi said, and then he grinned brightly. "Thanks, Yuu!"

Carefully, he stepped up onto Kanda's back, and Kanda grunted but stayed steady. Lavi peeked in through the window, wobbling slightly, and swept his gaze across the room.

"Anything?" Kanda asked impatiently, starting to pant.

Lavi hesitated. The room looked clean and well-furnished. There was a door, cracked open, which led to a room with a tiled floor, and then a hallway with more doors, these ones closed. Tony was looking around, bored, while Steve spoke sternly to a blonde woman, who was held firm by a scarily stone-faced Bucky. Natasha was frowning, arms crossed, focused on the woman.

Lavi started to shake his head, and then stopped. "Do you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear _what?"_ Kanda demanded.

"I think 's crying," Lavi answered, starting to worry.

"Don' hear it," Kanda grumbled, and then, "Get off me, stupi' rabbit."

Lavi climbed off Kanda, and they both started for the door. It started to open, and Lavi stiffened. That was _definitely_ crying, and from a baby, too, he thought.

Lavi barely waited for the door's gap to be wide enough before he darted through, weaving in and out of grown-ups' legs amid cries of alarm before he zeroed in on the open door to the kitchen.

"Lavi?" Tony yelped, sounding caught between anger and worry.

"What is going on?" the lady demanded in German. "Why- _children!"_

 _"Stop,_ Yuu!" Bucky snapped, making half a move to go for his son but needing to keep the woman from fleeing. For once, Kanda ignored him in favor of keeping to old practices, long hair whipping around the open door as he chased after Lavi.

In the kitchen, the noise was much clearer, the muffled, helpless sobs of a terrified toddler. Lavi spun around in a circle, trying to figure out where it was coming from, but Kanda beat him to it.

"Here!" Kanda said urgently, one tiny palm pressed to the door of a cabinet, with a board jammed in the handle.

Wasting no time, Lavi darted over and dropped to his knees in front of it. Kanda wrenched the board away, Lavi yanked the door open, and a little body tumbled out to fall against Lavi's chest. The cries escalated in volume, no longer muffled by the cabinet door.

Lavi didn't even have time to react before the little boy gave an especially shrill cry that hurt his ears, and then threw himself to the side, scooting away across the floor. And then he pushed himself upright.

Both four-year-olds looked over at the hysterical toddler, and Lavi swore his heart stopped.

Silver eyes gleamed and overflowed with tears, red-rimmed and swollen. Thin white hair covered the boy's head, failing to cover that _distinctive_ scar, and a pitch-black hand was clutched defensively to a heaving, emaciated chest. Just behind that, Lavi could make out faint bruises on his throat, starting to yellow with age.

Lavi's blood roared in his ears, and his vision tinted red. It was Allen, a tiny, year-old Allen, obviously hurting and crying with fear.

"I'll kill her," Kanda said hoarsely, right behind Lavi. And then, louder, _"I'll kill her!"_

A moment later, there was a flurry of motion as Kanda shot to his feet and back out the door. In the other room, he let out a scream of incoherent rage, and there were the sounds of a brief scuffle and more cries of alarm.

Lavi ignored them all, focused on the quivering boy in front of him. He swallowed and tried to speak once, then twice, then three times before he finally managed, "A-Allen?"

Allen's cries cut off abruptly, and he swallowed his next sob. He hiccuped, and then looked up. Lavi's heart wrenched at the widening of his eyes, the shock and dawning hope. "L-La-"

Allen couldn't even get Lavi's entire name out before the tears returned, fear and relief renewing the sound, taking it to new volumes.

Lavi tried to smile back, but his eyes kept returning to the jut of Allen's collarbone and the thinness to his wrists, and all he wanted to do was cry. "It's gonna be okay," he told the younger boy. He scooted forward, and Allen started to reach for him but stopped. Lavi caught his hand before he could withdraw it, tears collecting in his eyes and a shake entering his voice as he spoke around the lump in his throat. "You're gonna be okay, beansprout. You're g-gonna be…" He swallowed, struggling not to cry. "O-okay."

He scooted forward again and reached out to hug Allen, almost engulfing the younger boy's tiny body with his own, and Allen clung to him, keening into his chest and soaking his shirt. All of Lavi's attention was on the white-haired toddler.

Allen was so thin, had he eaten at _all?_ Why had he been shut in the cabinet? Why were there _bruises_ on his _throat,_ and why was he _so scared?_

What had happened to Allen?

They sat there, shaking together, until there was a sound, and Allen flinched so hard he ripped himself away from Lavi. Then, using his legs, the white-haired boy shoved himself right up into a corner. His chest heaved as he fought for breath, panting and letting out sobs between breaths, his face still streaked with tears.

"Oh, shit," Lavi heard Tony breathe from behind him. Then the sound of footsteps, and Tony dropped down beside Lavi, laying a firm, warm hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong, little buddy?"

"A-Allen!" Lavi said insistently, and he didn't even care that it escaped as a wail, tears spilling over as he finally broke his gaze to stare up at Tony pleadingly. Tony _had_ to fix this. He couldn't leave Allen here! He couldn't!

Lavi saw comprehension flash across Tony's face as he glanced at Allen and then back at Lavi, but all he could think about was how this wasn't okay, it wasn't, Allen was one of his _best friends_ and he was hurting and _scared_ and Lavi hadn't been there for him, no one had, _again._

"It's okay, buddy," Tony soothed instantly, and Lavi moved to cling to him, sobbing right along with Allen. "Natasha's taking care of him. We're not going to leave him here. It's alright. It's alright."

* * *

 _"Sh,"_ Natasha said softly, kneeling a few feet in front of the tiny child in the corner. Her hands were on the ground, fingers splayed, and she forced herself to relax. She didn't want him to be any more scared than he already was. In German, she continued, _"Sh, little angel. I'm not going to hurt you."_

The white-haired toddler pressed himself closer to the wall, trying to glare at her. She could see the fear in his eyes, though, and he was still crying.

 _"Sh,"_ she repeated, making no move to approach. His glare was fading, but he never took his bright silver eyes off her. _"It's okay. It's okay. None of us are going to hurt you. I won't even touch you unless you let me. Sh, sh."_

There was movement behind her and the little boy flinched, but Natasha didn't move. Tears were pouring down his face, and his tiny chest quivered with the effort it took to breathe and cry at the same time.

She kept making calming sounds, shushing him and repeating the same reassurances until his sobs started to slow. When he'd quieted, breathing catchy and irregular, still sniffling, she decided to go on.

 _"My name is Natasha,"_ she told him, tone soft and even. _"I help people. Will you let me help you?"_

The boy stared at her, frightened and wary, but after a long moment, he nodded.

Natasha smiled, brief and foreign. _"Thank you. You're being very brave. I'm going to come closer now. Is that okay?"_

Again, a nod. The boy watched her like a wide-eyed hawk as she scooted forward, keeping her kneeling position and propelling herself across the ground in small increments, watching the toddler for any adverse reactions.

Finally, when she was right in front of him, the toddler craned his neck to stare up at her uncertainly. His breathing had picked up into something perilously close to hyperventilation, but he hadn't gone back to crying.

 _"I'm going to pick you up now,"_ she cautioned him. He sniffled but didn't resist as, very slowly, she reached down and carefully picked him up. One arm went under his legs, the other behind his back, and she pulled him to her chest. Almost instantly, he buried his face in the junction where her shoulder met her neck, and one of his hands came up to clutch at her shirt.

Now that he couldn't see her face, Natasha allowed herself an uncomfortable frown. Lavi and Yuu aside, she wasn't around children very often, and young, frightened children even less. But needs must, and she certainly wasn't going to leave him as he was. He was _terrified;_ even now, she could feel him trembling, tears soaking into her catsuit.

 _"Sh,"_ she repeated quietly, turning around. Steve was in the doorway, looking at her in question, and she nodded slightly and started to move toward him. _"Sh, little angel, you're doing fine. You're doing fine. Breathe."_

"Got him?" Steve asked quietly, as soon as she was close enough.

Natasha nodded. In English, she said, "He seems more or less physically unharmed, but he's scared to death." She looked at the child and switched to German again. _"This is my husband Steve, little angel. He's very nice."_

The boy shrugged, but he did peek at Steve for a moment before hiding his face again.

"Yuu yelled something about a cupboard?" Steve prompted, looking at the toddler with concern. "And a beansprout?"

Natasha tilted her head and frowned. "A beansprout? I don't know what that was about, but one of the cupboards was open." She grimaced. "He might have fit in there. He's tiny."

The boy whimpered and tensed, letting out a high whine. Natasha looked down at him, frown deepening in concern.

 _"Sh, little angel, we're not going to do anything to you,"_ she promised, reverting to German for the boy's benefit. Then, to Steve, once more in English, "It's possible he understands English, though I can't imagine how he learned."

To her surprise, the boy nodded again. "En'ish," he mumbled, almost too quiet to hear.

Both Steve and Natasha blinked, and then Steve chuckled. "I guess that answers that." He crouched slightly, so his head was level with the toddler's. "What's your name-" He glanced at Natasha and smiled. "Little angel?"

Natasha frowned at him. She'd needed _something_ to call the tiny white-haired baby, and 'little angel' had been the first thing to come to mind.

The toddler stayed silent, but he tensed again, and his grip on Natasha tightened. Well, his right fist did - his left remained limp at his side, and, concerned, Natasha wondered if there was something wrong with it. As soon as possible, she'd have to check him over.

For now, though, she nudged him and repeated, "What's your name, little angel?"

The boy peeked up at her hesitantly, clear eyes huge. "...Allen."

She smiled at him, and while she wouldn't admit it for the world, it warmed her that Allen seemed to have decided that she was the safe one, even between her and her husband. _No one_ thought that she was safer than Steve. "Alright, Allen. Is it okay if you come with me and my friends? We can take you away from here, somewhere safe."

Allen hesitated, and then he nodded again, but hid his face once more in her shoulder, making Steve smile sadly.

In the other room, Tony seemed to have calmed Lavi down, though he was still sniffling and rubbing at his eyes, looking downright miserable. Yuu was struggling in Bucky's one-armed grasp, scowling blackly at Marlisa. Bucky had his other hand on her, and this time, his grip was much less benign, and it only tightened when he glanced up and found the boy in Natasha's arms. He took his duties as a parent very seriously.

Marlisa also, to Natasha's private satisfaction, bore a few red marks which would surely develop into bruises, courtesy of Yuu's apoplectic rage. (This was the reason why Bucky was currently holding his son off the ground.)

As soon as Marlisa's eyes found Allen, a snarl of disgust tore across her face. "Oh, you found _that?"_ she said in battered English. Allen flinched and whimpered at the sound of her voice. "Maybe some good can come of this. I expect _you_ can dispose of it."

Yuu's struggles renewed, and Steve had to move to hold Marlisa so that Bucky could get a better hold on him. "Shut up!" Yuu raged at her, cheeks flushed and chest heaving. "Shut up, shut up, shut up! I hate you, I hate you!"

Marlisa cringed back and glared at him. "And can you not control your children?"

"I think it's you who needs to be controlled, ma'am," Steve said, with a voice as cold as the ice that had frozen him. "Is this your son?"

Marlisa glared at him, too, but after a moment she nodded grudgingly.

"Then we'll have to add child abuse charges on top of everything you have already," Steve concluded, frowning in disapproval.

"That _thing_ is not a child," Marlisa snapped, refusing to look at anything but the ground. Natasha gave her a cold look, and Allen started to cry softly.

"I disagree," she said, and looked at Bucky. "Can you handle her? I think we should separate her from the rest of us. If she keeps this up, I won't be responsible for my actions."

"Nor I mine," Tony muttered, a dark scowl on his face. Still in his arms, Lavi looked caught between glaring and crying again. "Can we legally bring the kid with us?" Lavi looked up with wide-eyed alarm.

"If no one claims him, I think so," Natasha said, slightly startled. Lavi looked relieved, and she wondered if he'd grown attached already - perhaps that was why Tony had suggested it. (She didn't think so, though.)

"You coming with us, Allen," Lavi called out, trying for cheer and only somewhat succeeding, and Allen tilted his head to look at Lavi, and then smiled weakly.

"'Kay," he said softly. Yuu slumped, abruptly stopping his struggles, and Natasha had to suppress her amusement as Bucky let out a sigh of relief. Then Yuu looked up and gave Allen an intent look, frowning and suspicious. Finally, he asked,

"You 'kay, beansprout?"

Beansprouts again?

Allen glanced over at him and shrugged, and then pressed his forehead to Natasha's shoulder again. As the realization passed over her, Natasha allowed herself a small smile. So the boys had granted Allen a nickname already? They really _had_ inducted him.

Which presented an uncomfortable question. What were they going to do with him?

Well, she supposed that, for tonight, as Tony seemed amiable to the idea, they could take him to the tower. After that… they'd figure it out.

* * *

Allen was maybe a little bit in shock.

He'd been… _rescued._ People had _come for him._

He was going to be okay.

Allen sniffled against Natasha's shoulder, unable to stop the flow of tears. He couldn't believe it. It was over. He had his friends back, and warm tones, and gentle hands, and… He couldn't believe it. He had to be dreaming.

Natasha was… very nice. Her voice was soft and she was very careful with him when she held him, and he didn't want to give it up before he had to. Before she made him.

She hadn't, yet. She would, though.

He didn't have the words to describe how it felt to see Lavi and Kanda again. They were small, like him, but… bigger. And they'd stuck close to him since they'd gotten on the plane. He could feel Lavi on one side of him, steady and reassuring. Kanda was on his other side, growling at anything that moved, and that was reassuring too.

He still felt scared, because he couldn't bring himself to believe that it was real. But it was still nice.

There was only one other man in the cabin with them - Steve, the man Natasha had introduced as her husband. He was too big and Allen was scared to look at him, but he seemed nice, too, Allen guessed. The others had all gone elsewhere.

There were too many people here.

"Daddy owns the tower," Lavi told Allen earnestly, eyes focused on him when Allen turned his head to look at him. "An' there's Aunt Tasha an' Uncle Steve an' Bucky, Rhodey, an' Scott, an' Sam, an' Wanda, an' Vision. Vision's really weird!" He giggled, and Allen managed a weak smile for his friend.

"Lavi," Steve admonished, a hint of fondness in his voice that was the only thing keeping Allen from jumping. "That's rude."

"Sorry," Lavi mumbled, and Kanda, when Allen turned his head to look, was smirking at him.

"Stupi' rabbit, not supposed to call people weird," he told him mightily. Natasha's chest shook slightly with something like a laugh, and Allen stared at him, startled. Kanda seemed… different.

"Hmph!" Lavi huffed. "You see, beansprout. You gonna really like it."

And Lavi knew Allen really well, so he should know. The spark of hope in his chest grew a little, and Allen smiled again, softer but more sincere, still a little tremulous. Both four-year-olds grinned, Lavi wider than Kanda.

With a little bit of his fear gone, Allen felt the hollow ache in his stomach a little more acutely, and it took that moment to throb vengefully. He flinched and let out a soft whimper against his will. No. No, this was already a lot, and he _didn't have a right to ask for more._ He was fine. He swallowed another whimper when Natasha's hand settled on the back of his neck, and when he glanced up, she was frowning in concern, eyes focused on him without a hint of malice, and he found he couldn't hold her gaze for more than a few scant seconds.

When he looked down again, Lavi's smile had vanished, and the boy was giving him a look of alarm. Allen bit his lip, ashamed, and looked away, only to face Kanda giving him the same look.

"Sprout?" Kanda prodded, poking him. Since they'd come back to the Order together with Johnny and Link, Kanda had always been among the first to notice when something was wrong with Allen. Whether Allen wanted him to or not. "You 'kay?"

Allen could feel his lower lip trembling slightly, and he found he couldn't look at Kanda anymore. He looked away. Natasha felt warm, and she was still holding him, careful and steady. He shut his eyes and hiccuped, trembling slightly.

He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all, because Kanda was strong, and Lavi, but he was _tiny,_ he was _helpless._ He was _weak,_ and Allen _hated_ being weak, maybe as much as Kanda did.

And when he felt weak, he got mad. He hated that, too.

"Hungry?" Lavi asked, green eyes sharp with intelligence - two of them, which even now Allen could find a small thrill of happiness in him for. Lavi was okay.

Caught out, Allen nodded, shamefaced and unable to look at either of them for very long.

"Oh," Kanda mumbled, brow furrowed.

"I'll get something," Steve said, the sound startling Allen more badly than it should have, and he rose from his seat, eyes soft and solemn. A minute later, he returned, holding a small container of applesauce and a baby spoon in one hand.

_...Oh._

Allen wanted it. He was really, really hungry, and he hadn't gotten to eat much since… He hadn't gotten to eat much. His eyes flicked from the little cup to Steve, heart beating too fast in his chest, torn between apprehension and hunger. (It hadn't been this hard to trust _before._ Not in a long, long time.)

But Natasha made a hum of approval, and Lavi let out a little sound of encouragement, and Kanda nudged him because he was too perceptive sometimes.

 _They_ trusted Steve.

"Are you alright with sitting on my lap, Lavi, so I can feed it to him?" Steve asked Lavi, with solemn blue eyes and not a hint of aggression anywhere in him. Allen tracked him with his eyes, frozen still, at once terrified and barely daring to hope.

Lavi nodded instantly, and there was a brief moment where Steve settled next to Natasha with Lavi on his lap, and then he opened the applesauce and looked at Allen.

"Got him, Nat?" Steve asked Natasha, giving her a small smile. Allen felt her chest move in a short huff, amused and exasperated and _it had been so long since he'd been with people like this._

"Of course. Now stop making the little angel wait."

"Of course," Steve echoed with a self-deprecating smile. "I'm sorry, Allen. Ready?"

Allen's mind felt muddled, thrown up in a chaos of confusion and fear and just-blooming, tentative optimism, and it was hard to think. It should be a simple question, but Allen was _scared,_ and he was _tired_ of being burned.

Despite having known Lavi and Kanda for so long, despite knowing that they were technically as grown-up as he should be, something buried in the back of his mind made Allen look to Natasha, who was confident and gentle and-

She nodded at him, reassuring and calm, and he took a breath and looked at Steve, who was smiling at him. Like Allen was just another child. Like he _mattered._

He opened his mouth, half-expecting the food to be taken away because this was really _too good to be true,_ and then...

Steve smiled gently and started to feed him the applesauce, one spoonful at a time.

It was the best thing Allen had tasted in a long time, and each spoonful filled his tummy a little more. Little airplane noises accompanied the spoon on its way, and it was kind of fun, after a while. Steve's eyes had lightened, and he looked sort of like he was enjoying himself too.

Lavi giggled softly at both of them and Kanda rolled his eyes, settling against the back of the chair, kicking his feet in feigned boredom, though he never took his eyes off Allen.

Allen had to admit, when the applesauce was finally all gone, he was a little disappointed. He was… _mostly_ full, though, and it would be selfish and greedy to ask for more. That's what he told himself.

Didn't stop him from being happy when Steve pulled a pudding cup out of his pocket.

"Hungry sprout," Lavi laughed quietly.

"Hungry sprout," Kanda agreed with a small smirk.

Allen allowed himself a small, happy giggle and this time opened his mouth without prompting.

Then he closed it again, eyes widening as a guilty pang hit him suddenly.

He'd completely forgotten about his friends. The food was probably here already in case _they_ got hungry. He didn't want his friends to be hungry.

"Is something wrong?" Steve asked, looking genuinely worried. Allen bit his lip, trying not to cry again, and looked at Lavi, tilting his head slightly.

"Lafi hungwy?" he asked, tentative and guilty. He could see the surprise flash quickly through Lavi's eyes and then the regret, and Lavi shook his head quickly, sticking his hands in his lap and looking at the ground.

"Not hungry," he said, very quietly. "You eat, Allen."

Allen felt a little relieved and then felt very, very selfish, and then he looked at Kanda, who didn't even wait before he huffed softly.

"Not hungry," Kanda agreed, not looking at anyone, scowl fierce and bitter.

A brief smile, faint and fond, flickered across Allen's face. He had good friends.

He looked up in time to see Steve and Natasha share a strange look, warm and approving, and felt a little warm himself, though he didn't quite comprehend why. Natasha gave Steve a small smile and then nodded to Allen, who had looked back to Steve, hopeful but still a little worried. Steve could still take it back, after all.

"Come on, Allen," Steve said quietly, putting the spoon in the cup. "Let's finish up."

When the pudding cup, too, was empty, Allen felt more full than he could remember having been in a long time, and more cheerful, too. He brought up a smile - more easily than he had previous - and told Steve, "Tank you!"

Steve smiled at him and sat back a little, setting this cup aside as well. He looked pleased. "You're very welcome, Allen."

Content and full and surrounded by warmth and friends, Allen started to feel sleepy. It didn't take much for him to give in, and, half-consciously, he curled up a little closer to Natasha as he drifted off into a doze that served his purposes, because he wanted this to last a little longer.

He was glad she hadn't put him down yet.

"Allen?" Natasha said softly, after a few moments, and Allen forced his eyes open to look up at her. Oh. Was she done with him now? But she just asked him, eyes serious, "May I check you over? I need to know if you're hurt anywhere."

 _If you hold me a little longer,_ Allen thought, and then instantly felt ashamed for his own clinginess. He wasn't a child. He _wasn't._

He nodded anyway, without thinking, tired and warm. She smiled at him, the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes again.

She moved him around a little as he drifted, not enough to wake him but enough to keep him from dropping off entirely. First her fingers brushed lightly over his face, tracing the scar that was still there even now. Then she touched his chin and tilted it up, and Kanda growled quietly again, soft and vengeful.

Natasha moved him a little more, and he squirmed for a moment as he was passed from her hands to large ones that had to be Steve's. A gentle hand cupping his cheek calmed him more than he'd like to admit, and he settled again as she moved on.

He shivered and pulled away subconsciously as she touched his left arm, but she was persistent, and her touches didn't turn harsh like he'd expected. They stayed gentle the whole way, even though it was ugly and awful and…

She pulled the collar of his loose shirt down, and then let go. She patted briefly over most of the rest of him, soothing and rhythmic, and when she was done, Steve released Allen back into her hold, and he sighed softly without meaning to, turning his head into her.

"Sprout's okay?" he heard Lavi asked, muffled by Allen's sleepiness.

"He'll be fine," Natasha reassured him. "He just needs a good home and some good meals."

"Hear that, Yuu? Sprout's okay!"

"I heard," Kanda grouched. And then, confusing Allen even in his half-conscious state, "'Course he's fine. He's the _beansprout."_

"Right!" Lavi said cheerfully, and that was the last thing Allen heard before he fell asleep entirely.


	23. Cuddle Close

"So you're the little beansprout?"

Tony smiled genially, tone lightly teasing as he crouched in front of the three children now inhabiting his tower. In the safety of his own mind, he ran again over what he knew about Lavi's friends, and a fast-becoming-familiar simmering frustration grew in his chest. It was hard to forget that all three of these kids had died; he couldn't banish the images from his mind, and he was starting to get nightmares about more than just Lavi. (Nothing on what the kids probably had, of course.)

Allen was three years younger than Lavi, and didn't like to talk about his past, but Lavi was sure it was nothing good. He also, according to Lavi, had shit for luck, but Lavi refused to say anything specific. (Then again, the bruises on Allen's throat spoke for themselves, and Marlisa's words still rang in Tony's ears. 'Not a child' his _ass.)_

On the other hand, it was obvious when Lavi talked about him that he held a lot of affection for Allen (he hadn't even objected when it was proposed that Allen stay in Lavi's room for the moment) and even now, the way Lavi was behaving around him showed that Lavi was protective of the now-toddler.

Well, that just meant that Tony had to look after him, too.

God, where was Pepper? (He knew that, actually. Goddamn business trips. He _needed her_ for this, damn it, and missing the Avengers moving in was one thing but Allen and Yuu were _another entirely.)_

"Allen," Allen protested softly, refusing to meet his eyes. Damn, but that was a wicked-looking scar - Lavi hadn't been joking. Thinking about it made his stomach twist unpleasantly, though, so he let his gaze drift momentarily to the other two.

Lavi was sitting on Allen's left side, green eyes flicking anxiously between Allen and Tony, and Kanda was on Allen's right, curled into a ball and scowling at the floor, pressed close to Allen as if he could take his place and protect him. Allen was looking at his lap, the fingers of his right hand playing with the fingers of his left, grey eyes dull and wary, still unaccountably tense.

Well, it _had_ been less than a day.

"My name's Tony; I'm Lavi's dad," Tony continued, undeterred. "He told me about how you know each other."

Allen glanced up at him, fast and frightened, and then looked at Lavi, who grinned at him reassuringly.

"It's okay, Allen. Dad's awesome, see? He don' mind."

"He's okay," Kanda muttered, which Tony was pretty sure was glowing praise from him.

Allen stole a glance up at Tony and then looked down again quickly. Tony suppressed the urge to go take Marlisa back from the German government and mur… actually, he'd just introduce her to Pepper. It would be very satisfying.

"Hi," Allen said softly.

Tony sighed and sat down entirely, crossing his legs like a kindergartener. He still had to tip his head and look way down at the children, only two of which looked back up, one with wide, hopeful eyes and the other suspiciously. The third kept his eyes focused on the floor.

"Now, Allen, I know you're scared, but it's gonna be alright, okay?" Allen shook his head. Tony decided to disregard this. "Officially, this is a temporary arrangement for now, but!" Allen, Lavi, and Yuu had all looked at him with horrified expressions. "I'm _going_ to make sure Allen stays, even if I have to adopt him myself. I promise."

Allen's terrified expression melted away into uncertainty, and he tilted his head slightly. Lavi nudged him to get his attention, and then offered a grin when Allen looked.

"Don't worry, beansprout. We'll keep you safe, 'kay?"

"...'Kay," Allen whispered, trying for a smile. He tipped his head up to Tony and met his eyes for the second it took to say "Tank you."

Tony grinned at him, even though Allen quickly looked down again. "No problem at all, tiny beansprout." He considered the child for a moment, and when Yuu bared his teeth at him, he chuckled and continued, "Is there anything you're going to want in your room?"

He couldn't miss the way Allen tensed up if he tried, and the white-haired toddler shook his head quickly and tucked himself into a tighter ball. Tony frowned, and Yuu and Lavi exchanged a look over Allen's head.

"You sure?" Tony pressed. He kind of itched to ruffle the kid's hair, but it seemed like a bad idea. He could do it when Allen was more comfortable with him. Or people in general. "I can get anything. Yuu has a few plants in his room now." Bucky had been surprised, but Yuu was happy with it, so he hadn't objected, either. The full-size roof garden would come later, when Yuu was older.

Allen shook his head again, though he did glance at Yuu. Tony sighed and shrugged, smirking.

"Well, if you change your mind…" he said offhandedly. "Anyway, keep in mind that you can talk to me about anything, alright? You're safe here."

Allen didn't look at him, but he did nod hesitantly, and Tony grinned, stood up, and stretched.

"Well, I think it's time for me to visit the lab," he declared, and Lavi laughed, while Yuu rolled his eyes. "Things to invent, people to avoid, you know the drill. Come visit if you want, because I might not come up for air for a while." He leaned over to ruffle Lavi's hair, making him giggle, and then Yuu's because his glare was hilarious, and so were the muttered death threats. "Love you, Lavi. Don't be a traitor and run off with one of the other Avengers."

Lavi rolled his eyes and grinned at him. "Love you too, Daddy," he chirped, and Tony grinned at him, made a silent cross over his chest, and let it soften when Lavi did it back.

He shut the door behind him and listened at the door for a bit, wondering if anything would change with him gone.

For a few minutes, there was silence, and then, finally, Yuu said gruffly,

"Don' be scared. You don' need to be."

"No' scawed," Allen protested defensively, and it was so much of a lie that Tony could almost see Yuu rolling his eyes in response. "Why Yuu? No' Kanda?"

"...Dunno," Yuu said, after a strangely long moment. "Didn' feel like it, I guess."

"I don' mind!" Lavi said cheerfully, and there was a muffled thud and a growl from Yuu. "Hey, what'd I say? Yuu's so mean to me!"

Allen giggled quietly. "Kanda mean," he pointed out.

"That's true," Lavi agreed, snickering. Yuu huffed, but didn't deny it. "Allen, why you still got your scar? All of mine are gone."

"Curse," Yuu said before Allen could answer. "I still got mine too, 'member?"

...Curses. Now what did Tony know about curses? More importantly, what did he have to learn about them? Did they exist here? Was he doomed to exist in an informational void when it came to these damned kids?

"Oh, yeah." Lavi didn't sound real happy about that. "Sorry, sprout. Got the short end of the stick again, huh?" Pause. "...Beansprout?"

There was a worried, stilted silence for a few seconds, and Tony frowned in concern.

"Miss you," Allen whispered, and there was an audible hitch in his breath, resonating with suppressed fear and misery. "Miss you a lo'."

Brief silence.

"Missed you too, Allen," Lavi replied after a moment, a matching thread of pain winding through his voice. "But we're together now, 'kay? It's gonna be alright."

"Both of you are weird," Yuu announced, sounding a little uncomfortable. "Obviously it's gonna be okay. We can all make sure, an' we _will,_ got it?"

There was another muffled giggle from Allen, and, to Tony's surprise (though he remembered Lavi's stories about Kanda and Allen), he sniped quietly,

"Well, i' _you_ say."

"I _do_ say, sprout! What you know, you're _one!"_

"An' _you_ fouw. Can' you coun'?"

 _"I_ can, can you, old man hair?"

"Giwly!"

"Imma cut it off!"

...This was _hilarious._ Better than a sitcom any day. Tony stifled a cackle and decided to escape to his workshop before he gave himself away. He was sure there'd be plenty more where that came from.

(An hour later, when Yuu had gone to Bucky's room and it was just Lavi and Allen, with the lights off and a little fish nightlight on the wall, Allen waited until he thought that Lavi was asleep and then sniffled and cried until he was, too.)

(Lavi wasn't asleep.)

* * *

The next day, the Avengers were called together for a family meeting.

Lavi wasn't entirely sure who to blame for that name - which was, yes, the official name of these team gatherings - but he was pretty sure it was Steve. These things were usually Steve's fault.

Tony, to his clear disgust, got there first, taking Lavi and Allen with him. Allen instantly moved to the far end of the couch from the man, and Lavi went with him because he looked too scared there all alone, and they both felt better when Allen could curl into Lavi's side and hide his face.

Lavi was kind of worried about him. He was so _tiny._

Steve and Natasha showed up a few minutes later, and Allen looked a little less scared; at least, he was showing his face now. Steve gave both of them a smile that Lavi returned on instinct, but Allen just tilted his head uncertainly. Natasha gave them both a nod and a much smaller smile, and Lavi felt Allen relax a little, which was interesting.

Bucky and Yuu came next, and Kanda released Bucky's hand and made a beeline for them as soon as he saw them. Soon Allen was squished between them, with Kanda frowning at him, a deep furrow in his brow, and Lavi's arm slung over him.

In the background, Steve and Bucky started to talk, but Lavi's attention went to Kanda as the other boy asked, "What's wrong with sprout?"

Allen made an effort to frown at Kanda. "Name _Allen,"_ he muttered, and Kanda smirked at him. Before they could get into another one of their spats, Lavi butted in,

"People scare him, obviously. Geez, Yuu, you'd think you'd remember these things."

Kanda wrinkled his nose at him, scowling. "I _know_ that, stupid rabbit! He looks like he's gonna be sick and that'd be gross."

"No' gonna," Allen objected, and Lavi rolled his eyes and let them go at it this time instead of interfering again.

Lavi could see his father tapping away at his tablet, probably engineering to pass the time and regretting coming early, while Steve and Natasha were doing their funny nonverbal conversation thing. Lavi wanted to figure out what they were saying someday, it'd be _great._

Bucky was studying the three of them, a concerned furrow in his brow, and Allen was carefully avoiding looking at him, with his voice heightening slightly even as he kept arguing, which was making Yuu scowl.

Then Scott came in, and the first words out of his mouth when his eyes found Allen were _"Christ,_ is this what it was like with the old team? Is this what you get up to when no one is watching?"

"Normally we get up to worse things," Lavi heard Tony admit, and Allen stopped talking. "There was one time that Thor tried to rescue all the animals in a zoo. That didn't go so well, but hell, it was fun."

"If by 'fun' you mean a PR disaster," Steve said, but he was smiling, reluctantly amused by the memory.

"That's Stark's problem," Natasha said firmly, smirking.

"Yeah, _you_ had the most fun of all. _You_ got to sneak all of the animals back in," Steve shot back, laughing. Scott smiled, shaking his head as he crossed the room to sit in a chair by Bucky.

"You people are something else."

"I liked that one," Tony declared firmly. "PR or not. Anyway, that's Pepper's problem more than mine."

"Mommy got mad," Lavi offered, giggling quietly. Then, to Allen, "Mommy didn't speak to Daddy for a _week,_ an' he pouted the _whole time."_ Then he paused.

Allen, with his frightened eyes and his scrunched face and one clenching fist, was breathing too fast.

"Allen?" Lavi asked, more quietly now, but Allen wasn't listening, he just squished further into Lavi like he could hide there, and Lavi could feel him shaking. "Allen?"

"Sprout," Kanda called, a little rougher than Lavi but trying his best, and Allen didn't look at him, either. There was a little shuffling among the adults and Lavi could hear them talking, but he wasn't paying attention, not right now. "Come out, bean. No one's gonna bite."

Allen didn't move.

Lavi hated this, because it was becoming increasingly clear that he and Yuu weren't enough to make Allen feel safe. Because this was _yet another_ thing they couldn't do because they were _too small,_ and Lavi was _sick of it._

There was a soft tapping and then Natasha was in front of them, crouching down, with a soft expression Lavi hardly ever saw on her.

"Little angel," she called softly, and Allen stirred. Lavi saw a glint of dim grey looking at Natasha and could have squealed with relief, but didn't because that was weird even for _him._ Natasha smiled faintly, and continued, "You're safe here. None of us are going to hurt you."

Allen stared at her for a moment longer, and then loosened up slightly, pushing himself up a little to look at her better. Lavi held his breath.

Natasha studied Allen for a moment, and then apparently came to a decision. "Do you want to stay with Lavi and Yuu, or do you want to come with me?"

Lavi could almost hear Allen's breath catch, and it wasn't hard to catch Allen's lightning quick glance at him. He let his lips flicker in a brief answering smile; if he and Kanda couldn't help Allen feel safe, well…

At least _someone_ could.

In response, Allen's smile steadied slightly, and he looked at Natasha. Something about his expression must have given the answer, because her expression softened in the moment before he said, soft and stuttering, "Y-you."

"Okay, little angel," she murmured, and she was as gentle as before when she picked him up and brought him over to where she'd been sitting beside Steve. Lavi scooted closer to Yuu to close the gap and brought his knees to his chest, ignoring Kanda when he irritably pushed him away again.

"Fuck," Kanda complained, too quiet for any of the adults to hear, "our _lives."_ Evidently he'd been thinking somewhat along the same lines as Lavi had been earlier.

"Tried that," Lavi said cheerfully. "Didn't work."

"Shut up, stupid rabbit. I kind of want to blame you."

"What did _I_ do?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure you did _something."_

Lavi was kind of offended. He hadn't done anything to get Natasha to come over, and hey, it was a _good thing._

...Maybe that's why Kanda was mad. He liked being able to do things himself.

Something about Lavi's expression made the other boy roll his eyes and slide off the couch, at which point he padded over to Bucky and crawled onto his lap instead. Bucky, talking to Scott, ignored him except to move one arm to rest casually over the boy's torso, securing him.

Lavi was left all alone, and he shrugged and scurried over to Tony, who instantly looked up from his work and grinned at him.

"See you finally decided to visit," he said, and Lavi laughed, moving up to sit beside him, leaning on his arm but not sitting on his lap.

Tony was always hyperfocused on his work, but he never ignored Lavi if Lavi wanted his attention. It was nice.

It was at that point that Sam and Rhodey arrived, talking and chatting - they'd probably stopped to put their supplies away, because they were stupid responsible sometimes, almost as bad as Steve - right up until Rhodey spotted Allen, curled up in Natasha's lap with his hair being stroked, breath hitching and strange, looking somewhere between content and wary. (Lavi _knew_ Aunt Tasha would notice that, because she noticed _everything,_ but she was pretending not to.)

"Dammit, Tony, what have I told you about taking in strays?" Rhodey asked, amused and exasperated and _clearly not thinking._

Lavi didn't think it was funny.

"Hey!" Sure enough, Yuu tried to scramble off of Bucky and had to be held in place. Bucky gave Steve a frustrated look, and Steve replied with a faintly amused one. Yuu would be Yuu. "Shut up! Sprout's not a stray!"

"Ah," Rhodey said, because he was a very smart man, and corrected himself, "Hey, kid. Welcome to the tower; hope this blowout isn't too overwhelming." He smirked as Allen's eyes turned on him, and he spread his arms theatrically. Lavi decided that Rhodey spent _way_ too much time with Tony and giggled. As if suddenly becoming aware of this, Rhodey dropped his arms, turning more serious. "I know Scott and Wanda found it a bit much."

Allen held his gaze for a few moments more, and then he shrugged and dropped it. Rhodey looked a little concerned at that, and Sam took over.

"Steve?" the other man asked, with a raised eyebrow. "Natasha? Got something to say for yourselves?"

"Terrorists make very bad parents," Natasha deadpanned, and that clarified it, well, almost instantly. Steve's slight smile turned downward and he returned his attention surreptitiously to Allen, who had tensed slightly at the mere _mention_ of Marlisa.

"He'll fit right in, then," Sam said with a small smile, barely missing a beat, and he nodded at Allen. "Welcome to the tower, kid." He paused. "What's the kid's name?"

"Allen," Lavi piped up with a bright smile. It looked like everyone was taking to Allen alright so far.

Well, of course they were. Everyone liked Allen.

"He's staying here for now," Tony explained. "So be nice and don't leave porn laying around, because I swear, when I find out who that was-"

"That was you, boss," FRIDAY offered helpfully.

"...Uh."

Steve laughed at Tony, and Lavi giggled, too, while Yuu rolled his eyes. Lavi glanced over to give Allen a grin, and Allen replied with an uncaring shrug. Lavi frowned. What, didn't he think Tony was funny?

A moment later, Lavi realized. Cross. Allen had probably seen much worse. And that brought on a whole new wave of giggles, and Allen offered a weary smile before he looked away.

Wanda and Vision were the last to arrive, right in the middle of the awkward silence in which everyone laughed at Tony, who had, after a moment, recovered enough to grin, somewhere between embarrassed (at threatening himself, knowing him, not the porn) and proud (because of the porn, which had been _nasty_ from what Lavi had seen on the cover).

"We did not have this many children yesterday," Wanda commented.

"Hello," Vision told Allen.

Lavi laughed and laughed.

Because he was laughing, it was Natasha who first noticed Allen's look - back to frightened and worried, and hunted, too, she thought, flickering wildly between most of the people in the room. His breathing was too fast, too.

"Sit down," she told the four still standing, voice firm, and Rhodey frowned, confused until he spotted Allen, nodded, and sat in another chair. Sam took another, and Wanda and Vision claimed a couch.

"So," Rhodey said, looking at Tony. "The kid?"

"His name is Allen," Tony said helpfully.

Steve sighed, and Natasha flicked a piece of paper at Tony's forehead. Steve stifled a smile and elaborated, "Lavi and Yuu got out of the Quinjet and found Allen in Marlisa's… house." He grimaced slightly. "He was in pretty bad shape, as, well, you can see."

Most of the room nodded solemnly, and even Vision was studying Allen with concern.

"We took him here because…" Steve trailed off and looked at Tony. It had been his idea, after all.

"The kids like him," Tony said. It wasn't exactly a lie.

Allen pushed himself up and they looked at him. He smiled, timidly, but couldn't meet their eyes.

"Hi," he said quietly.

There were a few moments of silence, and he shrank back a little. Then Scott laughed, crossed the room, and crouched in front of Allen, smiling gently.

"Well, how can we say no to a face like that?" he teased gently, and held out a hand, ignoring Allen's unsubtle flinch. "My name's Scott."

Allen's eyes flickered up to his face and then back down to his hand, and then he reached and grasped two of his fingers in all five of his. "I Allen," he whispered, and Lavi grinned broadly.

"Beansprout's gonna stay!" he declared confidently.

* * *

Three days after Allen's arrival found no consensus yet reached. Well, officially - by the end of the second day, he was everyone's sweetheart, which surprised neither Kanda nor Lavi.

Everyone had played with him once or twice, but it was Steve and Natasha, Lavi noted with interest, who kept coming back, taking it upon themselves to watch him for the majority of each day, sometimes together and sometimes passing him between them.

Lavi was pleased, honestly. Steve and Tasha had been really sad that they couldn't have a child, and they'd be great parents for Allen, he was sure. They'd love him lots, and Allen definitely deserved that.

They weren't with him right now, though; he was playing with Sam, who seemed extremely involved in knocking down his tower as often as possible, while Allen watched and giggled and stacked three blocks of three different colors in different combinations, and Yuu was flopped on his stomach, coloring and keeping one eye always on the youngest boy. Natasha was on the couch, watching a movie with Wanda, but everyone else was scattered throughout the tower.

"I see you've somehow managed to spawn yet another child. This place is starting to look like a daycare."

The long-suffering voice made all of them look up, and Allen squeaked and scooted back, dropping the block in his hand like a hot potato. He also tucked his left hand, the only exposed part of his arm, into his lap, looking frightened.

"Oh, uh, Maria." Sam looked caught between mortification at being caught knocking down towers of blocks like a three-year-old, and the seriousness that ought to accompany her arrival. "Fancy… seeing… you here."

"Yes, fancy that," Maria replied dryly. She moved three steps to the right to get a better look at Allen, and cocked an eyebrow when he squeaked again and flinched. "May I ask where you obtained this one? He's rather odd."

At that, Yuu popped up and bared his teeth at her, moving bodily in front of Allen. "Sprout's not odd!" he said crossly. "You're odd!"

Maria blinked, and Allen started to whine quietly, soft and scared, covering his ears the best he could. Yuu turned around to stare at him with wide, alarmed eyes, and Natasha sighed, standing up and brushing past Maria without a glance. She paused briefly to smile reassuringly at worried Yuu before she brushed her fingers through Allen's hair, making him flinch and peek up at her in confusion.

"She doesn't mean anything by it, little angel," Natasha told him, watching him sniffle with more concern than she'd like to admit. "We're all a little odd here."

He sniffled and tilted his head at her, and then, hesitantly, lifted up his right arm. Natasha was a little confused at first, and didn't quite get it until his face fell and he started to drop it again. Then her expression softened and she lifted him up, letting him cling to her.

Maria stared. Natasha raised an eyebrow coolly, wrapping one hand around Allen's rough left. Maria tried to look less surprised.

"Where did you find this one?" she repeated. "I assume none of you were pregnant for nine months without my noticing."

Natasha considered her for a long moment - long enough that Sam finally provided,

"Remember when the feds asked us to arrest Von Strucker's wife for them? Apparently they found Allen locked in a cabinet." He, like the rest of the Avengers, had been filled in in more detail when Allen wasn't around.

"Or, more accurately, Lavi and Yuu escaped the Quinjet, ran into the house, and found him," Natasha provided, settling squirming Allen with a hand on his back. "We're keeping him here until we find a good place for him."

Allen's fist tightened in Natasha's shirt, and if Natasha had had less control, uncertainty might have flickered across her face. As it was, though, her expression never changed.

Maria seemed to pick it up, anyway, looking at her with a small frown for a few more long moments. But then she let it go and said instead, "The government apparently wasn't satisfied with just having you arrest terrorists for them; they're starting to make noises about Mr. Barnes' past. That's what I came here to talk to you about."

All of them took a moment to process that, and then Yuu looked up, eyes wide and frightened for the briefest moment before he tried to hide it with anger. "What they wanna do with the bear?" he demanded, darting over to pull hard on her shirt. "What they gonna do?"

Maria looked at him, and her face softened slightly. "We don't know," she said honestly. "But we'll do our best to take care of it, alright?"

Yuu didn't look satisfied, and Allen stirred and sat up to look at Maria with hesitant worry. "Okay?" he asked. Maria looked confused, but Natasha reassured him, voice firm,

"It'll be _fine."_

Yuu looked down and shuffled his feet, face pinched.

"Can you go tell Bucky?" Natasha asked Maria, tone leaving no room for argument. "And take Yuu with you."

Maria nodded, face solemn, and took Yuu by the hand, sweeping both of them out of the room in a flurry of motion.

Natasha sighed, worry creasing her brow. Bucky shouldn't have to deal with this; he'd only just really settled in, him and Yuu, and he was free of HYDRA now. He should be able to do what he wants. He _should._

Unfortunately, life wasn't fair.

There was another tug at her shirt, and she looked down to see big silver eyes looking up at her, with bright white hair and a vivid scar she'd already gotten used to.

"Okay," Allen told her firmly, and she had to smile, smoothing down his hair with one hand.

"Of course it'll be okay. You just wait."

She was really going to miss the little angel when he had to leave.

* * *

A week after Allen's arrival, the Avengers were called out.

Without SHIELD to point out what threats needed their attention the most, the Avengers relied mostly on the news stations and Tony's various feelers to figure out where they were needed, and their response time was slower.

However, they had a certain 'anonymous source' that Tony had once admitted to Lavi was most likely the reformed SHIELD. That cut it down quite a lot, from what Lavi heard.

Anyway, they were called out, this time to rescue a town from a HYDRA strike - Lavi wondered what they wanted there. Allen seemed worried, but it died down as neither Lavi nor Yuu showed any signs of concern. This was, after all, routine.

This time, it was Scott who was left behind to look after them. It had been Tony, at first, but he'd eventually been reinstated as an Avengers and ever since then they did it in rotation. Technically, it was Wanda's turn, but Allen wasn't comfortable around Wanda yet. (Lavi liked to think he was on his way, though.)

They were in the common playroom right now, with fingerpaints and big, broad pieces of paper. Allen and Lavi were sharing one, working together to make some sort of abstract skyscape or something… wait, Allen was using green.

Ah, heck, Lavi had no idea what they were making. He grinned at Allen, who smiled shyly back - he was looking better and more confident already, even if in little steps.

"Something funny, Lavi?"

Lavi looked up to Scott, who was giving him a small, amused smile, and grinned.

"Allen being weird," he claimed, and Allen huffed a protest.

"Am no'!" He pointed at the green insistently. "Is _pawk!"_ Green dripped onto the clouds. "Oopsie."

"That's a very nice green bird," Scott said loyally, and laughed when both of the kids laughed. Yuu rolled his eyes.

"You all weird," he muttered, carefully painting what Lavi was pretty sure was a large, possibly man-eating Venus Flytrap. "I don't want anything to do with _any_ of you."

"You don't mean that," Lavi and Scott said together, and Allen giggled.

Allen's tummy rumbled, and Scott chuckled. "I guess it's snacktime. Here, Allen, come over here and I'll wipe your hand off. Lavi, Yuu, you too."

Allen pushed himself up, accidentally adding more green to the sky, and then tried to stand. He didn't quite make it up all the way before he tumbled down and smacked his arm on the ground, wincing.

"I gotcha," Lavi said, trying for cheerful, and bent down. When they both stood up, Lavi was taking most of Allen's weight with a hand under his armpit and one of Allen's in his shirt, and Allen's legs were shaking, but he made it over to Scott and held out his hand. (It reminded him of all the times Allen had gotten hurt and had trouble walking alone. It was painfully fitting.)

"Well, now it's all over Lavi's shirt," Scott said with a small smile, but he wiped Allen's hand off anyway, and then Lavi's, then Yuu's when the last boy expectantly held them out. "Alright, we can continue this later. Yuu, can you put the lids back on the paint?"

Yuu nodded and went to do that, and then Scott smiled at Allen and Lavi again.

"Lavi, I can take Allen if he's too heavy."

"No," Lavi said stubbornly. No way was Allen too heavy for him, he was _tiny._ No way.

"Okay, okay," Scott laughed. "What do you three want to eat?"

"Apples," Lavi suggested, and Yuu countered,

"Carrots!"

Scott chuckled. "What do you think, Allen?"

"Both," Allen said with certainty, and both Lavi and Scott laughed.

"The boy has spoken, both it is," Scott smiled. He moved to help Kanda finish putting the lids on the paints, and so he didn't see Lavi's expression change, unlike Allen, who peeked up at Lavi concernedly.

"When're Dad and the others getting back?" Lavi asked Scott at last. Scott winced visibly at the question.

"Late tonight," he promised. "You'll be asleep by then, but they'll be here when you wake up in the morning."

Lavi's smile dimmed, and Yuu went quiet. Allen looked at the painting, and the green smeared across the sky. "Oh. Okay."

"We'll stay up," Yuu said confidently without looking at anyone.

"Uh-huh," Allen nodded, and Lavi smiled again.

"Yeah!"

"They're gonna kill me," Scott muttered.

They didn't, though. The next morning, the picture of the kids piled up over Scott on the couch, all four of them fast asleep, was up on the wall, with all of the other pictures of the Avengers family.

* * *

**"Come on, Allen. You can do it."**

A soft huff made Steve smile, and he held gently onto Allen's right hand. Allen clung back, struggling to stand up; two weeks of good meals had made all the difference, and Steve thought he'd be strong enough to walk soon. He was looking healthier every day.

Allen let out a delighted cry when he finally straightened up all the way without any help, and then looked up at Steve, eyes sparkling. "Tand! I tand!"

"You did stand," Steve agreed, smiling at him. "Very well done, Allen. Good job."

Allen beamed, and then yelped and nearly fell when the door opened, startling him. Steve caught him and looked up, then smiled when Natasha cocked an eyebrow at him curiously.

"What's this?" Natasha asked, crossing the room as Steve lifted Allen up and Allen craned his neck to look at her.

"You just missed it," Steve told her, still smiling a little goofily. "Allen managed to stand." He'd made it his personal mission to help the boy walk by the time he had to leave, and it looked like he was well on his way to managing it.

Natasha smiled, too, as much at Steve's delight as Allen's success. "Is that so? Well done, little angel." She looked at Steve. "I was playing with Lavi and Yuu a minute ago. They decided that they wanted to visit Tony and that they'd invite Allen along." She chuckled. "When I left, they were fighting over what to play down there, but they should be here in a few minutes."

Steve laughed, too. "Sound good, Allen?" he asked the little boy, who considered for a moment, and then smiled brightly and nodded.

"Scott will be disappointed," Natasha remarked, amused. "It was his turn today." Informally, of course. The Avengers would never be so petty as to arrange turns for who got to play with which kids on which day. Allen giggled; Scott, to no one's surprise, was one of the few people in the tower he seemed to feel safe around, though it had taken some effort on the man's part.

"He gets Yuu and Lavi half the time, I'm sure he'll live," Steve returned. "I'll bring Allen down to the workshop when the boys get here." He considered Natasha for a moment, and then smiled. "Would you want to go out and do something when I get back? It's been a while since we had some time to ourselves."

Natasha kissed him on the cheek, giving him a fond look. "Sure, why not. We'll talk about it when you're done." She considered, and then smirked. "Don't forget that we're not allowed at the buffet or the gym anymore." They'd cleaned out the buffet and broken half the gym equipment.

Steve grinned at her, and then lifted Allen onto his shoulders, making Allen squeal in surprise.

At that moment, Lavi darted through the door, pursued by Yuu, who was yelling at him, as usual - something about stupid games and scissors. Well, Steve wasn't going to pretend to understand.

Lavi skidded to a halt at Steve's feet and grinned up at him, cheeks flushed with exertion, and Yuu reluctantly stopped beside him, though he did punch Lavi hard on the arm.

"Steve, Steve, Steve!" Lavi chanted, pulling at his clothes insistently.

"What, what, what?" Steve returned, smiling down at him. Allen peered over his head at the two boys on the ground, giggling softly. Natasha rolled her eyes.

"We wanna bring sprout with us," Yuu explained, scowling at Lavi. "Cause the rabbit wants to play with Tony." He glanced up at Steve, a glint of hesitation in his eyes that made Steve's smile soften. "Can sprout play?"

"Why don't you ask Allen?" Steve returned. He tried to look at Allen and failed, making Allen giggle. "Allen, do you want to visit Tony with Lavi and Yuu?"

"Yeah," Allen agreed shyly. "Pway."

"Yay!" Lavi cheered, hopping around happily. "Let's go, let's go!"

Steve chuckled and moved along obediently as both kids pulled impatiently at the material of his pants, urging him forward. "I'm going, I'm going."

"Faster!" Yuu insisted, frowning at him as if he was being slow on purpose. Steve laughed and sped up, just unstable enough to make Allen squeal delightedly.

It had been years now, and Steve still couldn't believe how naturally the kids fit into the everyday life of the Avengers. It just seemed natural to come back from a fight and be besieged by a couple of worried kids, or to wake up in the morning and find one of them in the living room, or to argue over who got to play with them this time.

Upon reaching the lab, Steve walked through the door FRIDAY opened and called out, "Delivery for Mr. Stark."

"Huh?" Tony sat upright, looked around in confusion, and then finally looked over at the door, brown eyes lighting up with surprise. "Oh, Lavi, Yuu, Allen!" As an afterthought, "Steve."

"I see how it is," Steve chuckled, crouching down so Allen could slide off his shoulders to the ground, and then catching him when he stumbled. "The kids wanted to see you. Hope you don't mind, because I don't think they're going to be going back up anytime soon."

"Oh, I'm always okay with being invaded," Tony said dryly, putting down a screwdriver for now and giving the kids a weary grin. "Why wouldn't I be? It's not like I'm doing work or anything."

Yuu wrinkled his nose at him. "You're _always_ working," he muttered, kicking the ground bad-temperedly. He considered, and then added with a smirk, "Only Dad says you _never_ work, just play."

"Well, your dad clearly has no idea what he's talking about," Tony countered, and then waved Steve off distractedly. "What are you still doing here? Aren't you supposed to be making goo-goo eyes at the scary assassin? Go. Leave. I promise I won't kill the kids in a fiery accident."

Steve rolled his eyes, but still retreated, reluctantly amused. "I'll hold you to it. I'll see you at dinner, _right, Stark?"_

"Yeah, yeah," Tony muttered, and the kids all giggled. The door closed behind Steve. "Yeah _right."_

"Steve says he heard that," FRIDAY informed Tony, making him start and mutter more imprecations under his breath.

Lavi giggled and ran over to his father, scrambling up with skill to peer at what he was working on. "What's that?"

"It's _supposed_ to be…" Tony trailed off, trying to remember what it was supposed to be. "Um. Gimme a minute."

Lavi giggled and Yuu rolled his eyes, exasperated. Allen crawled over and then sat back on his heels, tilting his head curiously.

"An upgrade for Dummy, boss," FRIDAY provided, when it became clear that Tony was not going to remember on his own.

Tony brightened. "Oh, yeah! That's right. It's a hardware upgrade." Louder, "So you're less clumsy, you bucket of bolts!"

Dummy looked up from where he was hovering near the blender and whirred sadly. On sensing the kids, though, he visibly brightened and started to trundle over, arm bobbing up and down.

Tony grinned and turned back to said upgrade. He frowned.

"The sensors, boss."

"Right!" He started working on his project again, now remembering his line of thought. "So what's up, little buddy? Miss me?"

"Mm-hm!" Lavi nodded, perfectly happy to stay perched beside him even as Dummy accosted Yuu and Allen with the ball kept in the lab.

Tony's grin softened with fondness. "Missed you too, buddy. How's everything going upstairs? No one's blown up yet, right?"

"Nope!" Lavi assured him. "Vision really likes Allen and he keeps askin' him weird questions." He giggled. "An' sometimes Wanda'll take Allen and they'll go off and hide and do stuff together." He wrinkled his nose. "I dunno what, they won' say."

"That seems very suspicious," Tony told him.

"I know!" Lavi agreed indignantly. Over with Dummy, Allen and Yuu started to argue over whether or not the ball was out of bounds, and Dummy dutifully went to go get it. Allen waved his right arm indignantly, and Yuu loomed over him and smirked right up until Allen scooted back a little with visible discomfort, at which time he dropped down to sit in front of him. "I keep tellin' Steve it's weird, but he just laughs at me."

"That's very rude," Tony said, stifling a laugh, and found his attention drawn to the boys on the ground. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask. You don't seem real surprised that Allen's arm is paralyzed."

Lavi instantly turned solemn. "Nah. It was paralyzed last time, too, see? I think it's his Innocence. Won't move 'til it activates."

Tony looked over, startled, and frowned. "I thought your Innocence was in the crosses on your wrists?" he asked gingerly. "And Yuu's?" Bucky had asked him about it as soon as he'd realized that Lavi had the same marks Yuu did; Tony would be glad when he didn't have to lie anymore. And he hated to think how Yuu felt.

On the other hand, he had been both delighted and appalled to learn that Yuu would eventually acquire a katana. (And he was a little horrified that he was appalled, too. He was becoming _responsible._ His lab hadn't been properly dirty in years!)

Lavi nodded instantly. "Yeah! But there's different types, see? Me an' Yuu, we're crystal types. Our Innocence is made of our blood."

Yeah, Tony knew that, but it still made his stomach turn. He put the screwdriver down again and focused on Lavi, frowning. "And what other types are there?" he asked warily. He'd gotten used to Lavi pulling awful answers out of seemingly innocuous questions.

"The most common was equipment types, but I'm not sure if there're any anymore," Lavi replied, looking down and picking at his stigmata. "Theirs weren' part of their body at all." He hesitated. "An' then there's the ones like Allen. Parasite types."

"...Sounds ominous," Tony said cautiously. Lavi shrugged.

"Yeah, sorta. Their Innocence is a part of their body. Allen's is his left arm, see? If you did an anal'sis on it, it's not made of human materials at all. It's Innocence." Lavi shook his head, and Tony contemplated doing just that. "An' it's not dangerous now, but once they activate then parasite types have really short lifespans. It does something to their hearts, I dunno." He glanced up to Tony's startled, faintly alarmed look, and looked back down quickly. "Lenalee's a crystal type, too," he added offhandedly, and then, softer, "I hope she's okay."

Lavi looked really worried, too, and Tony frowned, and then tapped Lavi firmly between the eyes, making him go cross-eyed and then focus on him, startled.

"We'll figure it out," Tony told him firmly. "Alright? I promise." He crossed his fingers over his chest. "Cross my heart."

Lavi smiled back and copied the motion. "'Kay." In the background, Yuu bowled Allen over by accident, Allen screeched unhappily, and Dummy rolled around both of them, panicking.

These kids would be the death of him. Tony was sure of it.

* * *

They were watching a movie when it struck Steve how much time he and Nat spent with Allen, a month after the boy's arrival.

Sure, all of the team loved him. Scott had made a similar, if more tentative, connection with Allen as he had with Lavi and Yuu. Wanda seemed to have a quiet sort of camaraderie with the toddler. The three boys went to visit Tony on a frequent basis, though Allen still seemed a little wary of him most of the time.

But times when it was just Allen, when Lavi and Yuu were off playing elsewhere, it was always Steve and Natasha who the little boy would seek out. And they always welcomed him with open arms. Heck, when Allen finally took his first steps, they were almost happier than he was.

"Cap?" Allen, Steve recalled fondly, couldn't say Steve's name for the life of him. The boy blinked up at him curiously, looking momentarily away from the animated vegetable movie they were watching. Steve smiled reassuringly.

"Nothing, Allen," he murmured, and Nat looked at him questioningly, but Allen shrugged, snuggled against him, and looked back at the movie while the little tomato flailed.

Nat's gaze lingered a little longer, but eventually, she looked back, too.

Half an hour later, when Allen fell asleep against Steve, Steve took a deep breath and looked at his wife.

"Nat? Have you thought at all about… adopting Allen?"

Natasha leaned over, kissed his jaw, and murmured in his ear, "I thought you'd never ask, old man."


	24. Consideration of Consolation

_Lavi's hand was cold; his fingers were twitching in hers._

_Lenalee held Lavi's hand clasped in both of hers, eyes solemn. Both of them were in the infirmary, and machines, all hooked up to Lavi, beeped and buzzed in the background._

_Lenalee never took her eyes off the other exorcist; he looked exhausted and worn, and he was pale as the dead. His face twitched painfully even in sleep, and no wonder._

_Lavi had been in a coma for a week following his escape from the Noah. Lenalee couldn't imagine how he'd done it - though she had her suspicions - given his injuries. Just to begin with, his right arm hand been trashed so thoroughly that Head Nurse had needed to amputate it just below the elbow. And then most of the fingers in his left hand had been broken, too, all splinted up now, and some of the bones of his legs, and at least half his ribs, a fracture in his skull…_

_Lenalee was never going to forgive Sheryll for this._

_Lavi had woken from his coma, but he still spent most of his time asleep. Lenalee was thankful for that; he clearly needed it, and it was good for him to be away from the pain, though Head Nurse dampened it the best she could._

_"Ungh… ugh."_

_Lenalee's gaze shot to Lavi's face, eyes wide and worried. He wasn't waking up, but in his sleep, his jaw was clenched, teeth grinding, and his face was scrunched against remembered pain. Lavi was dreaming again._

_Lenalee felt the burn of suppressed tears and reached forward, sliding her fingers through Lavi's hair, hoping to calm him down. He needed his sleep._

_But he didn't calm down. His face twisted and he started to gasp for breath. He turned and thrashed, dislodging some of the wires attached to him, and the machines started to beep in frantic alarm._

_An anxious furrow creased Lenalee's brow and she moved to hold him still, lest he hurt himself. "Lavi!" she called out. He didn't respond. "Lavi, you're having a nightmare! Wake up!"_

_He didn't wake; the pain on his face grew worse and worse, his gasps strangled and breathless, and tears started to slide down her face as she pleaded for her friend to wake._

_And then there was a crack, sickening and loud and more familiar than it should be, and a squelch. Lavi let out a strangled scream and tossed her off, shooting awake. His eye was wide and bloodshot, and blood was dripping onto the linoleum._

_Through the abruptly bloodsoaked sheets, Lenalee could see a tent, a pointed malformation where Lavi's leg should rest, and it wasn't a knee. She stifled a scream of her own, horrified, wide eyes fixed on the sheet hiding the injury from sight._

_One wild green eye, shadowed with terror, fixed on hers, set in a face that was strained and drawn._

_"Run, Lenalee!" he yelled at her, panting for breath and with anguish lining every syllable. "Run before he gets you, too!"_

_The terror, hopelessness,_ agony _in his voice took Lenalee's breath away. She stood up shakily, mind clouded and struggling to understand what was happening, but knowing she needed to help Lavi, he was hurt, he was scared-_

_Burning, blinding pain seared up and down her legs, so intense she didn't have the breath to scream. Instead, she collapsed to the ground, lightheaded, mouth open slightly and eyes dazed, fingers scratching at her unresponsive, deformed legs._

_"No!" she heard Lavi scream. "Lenalee, run! RUN!"_

_Lenalee tried to answer back, to tell him she couldn't, but suddenly she couldn't breathe, couldn't stand up, but she could feel the blood running from her throat._

_Then there was Sheryll, crouching in front of her with that weary, sly smirk. "Let's see you fly now, little exorcist girl."_

_Lenalee opened her mouth, but the only scream she heard was Lavi's._

"Lenalee! _Lenalee!"_

Lenalee's eyes shot open, wide and terrified, but her scream died in her throat, leaving just her chest heaving for breath, too fast and too shallow, with tears gleaming in her eyes.

She was on a chair, having curled up there and fallen asleep, and Fitz' huge hand was on her side, the man himself crouched in front of her, clearly worried.

She sniffled, and a whimper escaped her throat. Tears started to trickle down her face, and without a second thought, she reached for Fitz.

She was in the air and pulled to his chest just in time for the sobs, and for the next few minutes, he hushed her, walking around and bouncing slightly in a vaguely confused attempt to calm her down, half-humming an off-tune lullaby.

'What's wrong?' Simmons mouthed to Fitz, concerned, and Fitz shrugged helplessly.

After a while, Lenalee calmed down to just sniffles, though she didn't look up. Fitz let the humming die away.

"What was that, Lena?" Fitz asked her, keeping his tone soft. "Bad dream?"

"Mm-hm," Lenalee mumbled against his shoulder, fist tightening slightly.

"What was it about?" Fitz asked automatically, moving to sit down at his desk again, though he didn't go back to work. Instead, he shifted her to his lap, where she hid her face in his stomach instead of his shoulder.

"Memowy," she whispered, and she wasn't shaking, but she was awfully still for a little girl, Fitz thought.

Lenalee remembered that day. Lavi slept all the time, after he came back, and he didn't fully recover for months. Even then, he was still twitchy and watchful, and it hurt to watch.

In the early days of his recovery, Lenalee - Kanda and Allen as well, but both of them were busy and being watched to boot and so had less time - had spent as much time as she could, keeping vigil over Lavi. Maybe she was being fanciful, but she thought Lavi slept better with his friends around.

That didn't, however, keep him from waking up with nightmares and launching straight into flashbacks, remembering his time in captivity and sometimes thinking that Lenalee was there, too - hence the begging her to run away.

Lenalee hadn't forgotten those times, even when Lavi had gotten better, and in the end, when it was just her and Sheryll in the ruins of a town he'd wrecked, she'd killed him for it. And in turn, he'd broken her legs so badly she never walked again.

It was a fair trade, she'd decided in the end. Her legs for Lavi's vengeance. She'd do it again.

She tilted her head up to look at Fitz, who still looked worried, and offered hesitantly, "A weally ba' ting happen t'Lavi. Was tinkin' 'bout dat."

Realization sparked in Fitz' eyes, and then reluctance, and a new strand of concern. "Really bad, huh?" he prompted. She ignored this and just nodded instead.

"Can we pway game?" she asked. She didn't want to think about this anymore. It made her worry about Lavi, and she couldn't do anything for Lavi right now.

He studied her, sighed, and offered her a faint smile. "Sure, Lena. Here, give me your foot." He held out his hand, and despite the streaks of tears still on her face, she managed a smile. He grinned at her and wiggled his fingers. "Come on, you know the drill by now. Let me see it."

After a few moments, Lenalee gave in and lifted up her foot, and he grabbed her big toe and wiggled it vigorously. She giggled, almost inaudible, and he flashed her another smile.

"This little piggy went to the market…" He let go and grabbed the next one, and she laughed again, a little louder. "This little piggy stayed home." Simmons stood up, unnoticed by Lenalee, but he kept his eyes on the little girl, wanting to get that smile to stay. "This little piggy had roast beef." Lenalee was smiling and the tears looked almost forgotten, the shadow of maturity hidden behind a merry gleam. It was amazing, how easily she cheered up sometimes. "This little piggy had none." Final part. He grinned at her. "And this little piggy-" He tweaked her little toe. "Went wee, wee, wee, all the way home." He ran his fingers down to tickle her foot, and she shrieked with laughter, squirming in place, cheeks flushing cheerfully.

"You look like you're having fun now," Simmons commented with a smile, carefully sitting down on a chair beside Fitz. Lenalee started, and though her distress didn't return, her smile vanished in her surprise. Fitz sighed.

"Damn," he muttered.

"Fitz!" Simmons scolded.

"I no' a baby," Lenalee complained, drawing her legs closer to her so she could wrap her arms around them, staring balefully up at Simmons, whose own smile disappeared. Regret pulled at Fitz' chest; he wished he knew why Lenalee disliked Simmons so much.

As it turned out, so did Simmons. Of course; though Lenalee was visibly wary of her, she'd always wanted to try her best at getting along with her teammate's only child.

"Lenalee, why don't you like me? Is there anything I can do to make it better?" Simmons looked both sad and concerned, eyes on Lenalee.

Lenalee made a soft, disgruntled sound. "No," she said petulantly, wriggling to lean against Fitz's chest. She didn't even flinch when she started to tip, and sure enough, Fitz's hand went up to steady her.

"Lenalee," Fitz complained more than scolded. Lenalee sighed.

"You scawed," she muttered, sounding resentful, a tone neither of them heard often from the friendly toddler. "Li' _dem."_ Seeing Simmons' uncomprehending look, she huffed and turned her head away. "You call dem - li' Daisy, li' Linc'n…" She hesitated, and then finally decided on, _"Disease."_

Simmons' eyes softened, turning slightly pained, even as Fitz started - he remembered that. He'd resented Simmons for it, too, for a while.

"Oh, no, sweetie, I didn't mean you-" Simmons started, and she reached forward, but Lenalee leaned away from her hand and glared fiercely.

"Mean!" the little girl said emphatically. "'S _mean,_ Sim!" Her eyes filled with tears again, but they were frustrated, angry, not sad or scared. _"No' theiw faul'!"_

"I know," Simmons tried to soothe, looking just as upset as Lenalee. Fitz let his gaze flick between the two girls, equally concerned for both of them - Simmons, still recovering from her trip to an alien planet, and Lenalee, born again from a life that seemed to have been short and harsh.

What had his life become?

"I know it's not their fault," Simmons continued, soft and gentle. "I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't know what I was talking about, I didn't… didn't have enough information…" She trailed off.

Lenalee sniffled and wiped away her tears, anger only slightly cooled. "No' theiw faul'," she repeated miserably. "Don' punish _dem_ fo i'."

Fitz didn't think this was just about the Inhumans anymore. He cleared his throat.

"So! Lena, what have I told you about the Monolith?"

Both girls gave him an almost identical exasperated look, and he smiled sheepishly. Maybe there was hope for them after all.

* * *

Melinda had laid claim to a large hallway on the Playground. It was a busy hallway; lots of agents tended to use it, and it was often crowded.

Melinda could not care less.

There weren't a lot of places she could spread out a piece of paper this large, but this hallway was one of them, and Lenalee wanted to draw with her. So, there were agents warily skirting around the paper, while Lenalee knelt on one edge and Melinda knelt on the other, with crayons scattered across it.

There was whispering. Lenalee was giggling. Melinda surrendered a small smirk and looked down.

"They're too afraid to say anything," Melinda told her, and drew an airplane beside Lenalee's. Not to be outdone, Lenalee surrounded both airplanes with tiny birds.

"You'we no' scawy," Lenalee said confidently. She drew a cloud.

"I'll have you know I am _very scary,"_ Melinda argued, and added a mountain between the grassy line and the planes.

"Oh, no!" Lenalee cried, and Melinda looked up with a frown. Lenalee grinned at her, and then drew a crashed plane at the base of the mountain. Melinda smirked slightly.

"Well, aren't they unlucky?" she teased. As they continued, she changed the subject. "Have you been by to see Mack today? He's headed out for a mission tomorrow, and he told me he'd promised to show you the inside of a car engine."

Lenalee 'hm'ed happily. "No, bu' I will, Mommy," she promised. "Afta…" She tapped the paper and beamed at her, and Melinda chuckled softly.

"Fair enough. Don't forget, baby girl."

"Won'," she insisted. For a few more minutes, they drew together on the ground. An agent passing by saw Melinda smile at Lenalee's rendering of herself, high above the planes and the birds and the mountain, and tripped, colliding with the agent in front of him. "When Bobbi ba'?"

"She's scheduled to come back the day after tomorrow," Melinda replied instantly; after the talking-about-death incident, Lenalee had decided that Bobbi was also one of her favorites. It was sort of funny, because that meant that there were four people who she was constantly following around. Melinda wondered how she managed it - there was, after all, only one of her, and she wasn't even supposed to be in most of the areas she got into. "But she called in last night and said she might be a little late."

Lenalee made a soft, disgruntled sound. "She gone too _long."_

"I know, baby girl," Melinda soothed, hiding a smile. Lenalee directed the disgruntled look at her and Melinda forced her face to smooth over, though her eyes still danced with amusement.

"You _laughin'_ a' me," Lenalee accused petulantly.

"Maybe a little," Melinda admitted. More seriously, she added, changing the subject, "I'm going on a mission tomorrow. What's the safe word?" The 'safe word' wouldn't have many applications with Lenalee safe on the Playground, but Melinda wanted to put Lenalee in the habit of remembering it when she was away.

"Big bwother," Lenalee chirped, eyes softening slightly, the same way they always did when she thought of the late Komui Lee. (Melinda wished she'd known him, sometimes. She'd ask Lenalee about him when she was less worried about breaking her.)

"Good," Melinda told her, and Lenalee gave her a smile before she looked back down to the paper, scribbling something out. Melinda kept her eyes on her daughter for a few moments longer before she finally looked down and followed suit.

* * *

Coulson was bored. Paperwork was boring. He was having no fun at all. He was not suppressing the laughter that wanted to escape and he was not hiding a grin. He was Very Bored.

There were also no giggles coming from under his desk, or humming, or any of those weird, thin ratcheting sounds rubber bands made when you stretched and rolled them-

How had Lenalee even gotten in here?

"Someday my highly trained agents will figure out how you get into all of the top-secret areas," Coulson said suddenly, making the humming and giggling stop. "And then you'll have to find a new pastime." And so would his highly trained agents, who couldn't figure out how Lenalee got into the top-secret areas.

The giggles started up again, only louder. Coulson figured that Lenalee probably knew what it was thinking and sighed, surrendering a rueful smile.

He scooted back and leaned down, until he could meet the sparkle of Lenalee's brown eyes with his own. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me how you do it?" he asked halfheartedly. "Security breaches are no laughing matter." Bad, Coulson reminded himself. Security breaches were Very Serious Business, and they were Not Allowed.

Lenalee laughed at him. He sort of felt like he deserved it.

He was going to fire his highly trained agents.

He sighed and slid off his chair to plop on the floor, and hoped that none of his agents came in through Lenalee's security breach. Or otherwise, but it was usually Melinda who just strolled right in, and she was away.

"Shouldn't you be with someone else?" Coulson asked Lenalee, who was still sequestered in the shadows of his desk, with a pile of rubber bands on one side and a tin can half-covered in said rubber bands clasped in tiny hands.

Lenalee shook her head. "No. Mommy's 'way, an' Daisy helpin' her. Bobbi wih Huntew, an' Fizz weally busy."

"Good to know I'm your fifth favorite," Coulson told her, and Lenalee grinned at him. "And I'm busy too, you know." He waved at his boring paperwork and abandoned work chair.

Lenalee laughed at him again. Coulson halfheartedly wondered what he'd done to deserve this.

"You'll feel my pain when you're grown," he threatened, and when a startled look crossed her features, he reconsidered his words and frowned. "Wait. I didn't think that through."

She smiled a little, but it was years older than the previous grin, and she pulled her knees to her chest. "It dat easy t'fowge', huh?" she murmured.

He chuckled ruefully, scratching the back of his head. "Sometimes? Definitely. You act so much like a child most of the time." When she played, or slept, or cuddled with her mother or fell asleep on Coulson-

She looked away, and was still far enough in the shadows that the action hid her face. Coulson frowned.

"Lenalee?"

"It scawy sometime," she admitted softly. Coulson stilled. "I so mu' smallew den I was. I can' even stay 'wake a full day. An' I can' _do_ anyting."

"That's okay, Lee-Lee," he reassured her quietly, letting his voice drop. "That's what we're here for."

He saw a shadow of a smile, but Lenalee didn't look back up. "I know. It jus… scawy." She hesitated, and then continued, pensive, "I wondew… how my fweinds awe doin'. Lavi migh' be 'kay, bu' Kanda an' Awen bo' weally don' li' pendin' on people." Her voice fell so far it was nearly inaudible, but Coulson heard it anyway. "Dey coul' weally hate it."

...So Lenalee thought that she might not be alone, huh?

* * *

It was just a hunch.

Well, not _just_ a hunch. He'd been wondering ever since he saw that Lenalee had the same marks on her wrists that his nephew did. Wondering what millennia-in-the-making scheme was brewing this time, mostly, but still wondering.

And with the revelation of Lenalee's origins and then her worry, his suspicions had grown to ridiculous enough proportions that he was fully prepared to reveal himself to his sister just to disprove them.

Talking to Kathy was… hard. She screamed at him. She cried. Screamed some more. But in the end, she hugged him tight and let him in.

"Howie?" she called out, ushering Coulson to the couch and pushing him onto it with a little more force than strictly necessary. Yeah, he'd be paying for this later, once the relief wore off, he figured. "There's someone here I'd like you to meet."

There was a brief pause, and then the rapid patter of small feet - much heavier than Coulson recalled, but still small.

Then a little body shot through the door, and… He could have sworn little Howard had been just a tiny baby five minutes ago, but here he was, five years old.

"Link, Mommy," Howard complained, shoving chin-length blond hair out of his eyes. "I want you to call me _Link."_

Coulson was caught between admiring how big his tiny nephew had gotten and, well, comparing him to Lenalee. Howard - Link? Link looked up at him, and then he paused, eyes widening slightly as he finished tucking his hair behind his ear. Coulson smiled at him placidly.

"Uncle Phil?" Link blurted out, looking wide-eyed and shocked, and Coulson nodded to himself. That was strike two - Link should have been far too young to remember him.

Kathy had caught it, too, and her eyes narrowed in suspicion, barely flicking over Link before settling on Coulson with a warning glint. She was worse than a mama bear when she put her mind to it.

"Hello, Link," Coulson said with a smile, holding out his hand. "It's very good to see you again."

Link tilted his head and frowned at him, then reached out and took his hand, regarding him with visible suspicion. Strike three. "Hi."

"Katherine," Coulson continued, moving to sit down in front of his little nephew, a bud of mixed dread and awe in his chest. "May I speak to your son alone?"

Kathy frowned, too, and a small, disapproving twist appeared on her mouth as she looked at Coulson. "This isn't a personal visit, is it, Phil?"

"I'm afraid not," Coulson admitted, letting himself look almost as sheepish as he felt.

There didn't appear to be words enough to express Kathy's feelings; she flushed an angry pink, opened her mouth as if to speak, but then shut it, turned, and left. The back door shut, signalling that she was out of earshot.

When he looked back down, wincing at the thought of whatever retribution he might receive for this, he found Link regarding him cautiously, starting to step back.

"...Uncle Phil?" Link asked warily. Coulson saw his wrist twitch slightly, which was interesting. Coulson let his smile fall.

"I'm sorry for the secrecy, Link," he said quietly, crossing his legs. "But I thought that you might not like your mother to know if you hadn't told her already."

Link crossed his arms defiantly, but his gaze cut away, and his cheeks were flushing with discomfort. "I don't know what you're talking 'bout," he muttered rebelliously.

Coulson smiled kindly; this had been hard for Lenalee, too, according to Melinda. "I'm sorry we don't know each other better," he mused. "This might have been easier." He paused to consider, and Link's gaze cut back to him, tense and wary. "I'm not going to tell anyone you don't want me to, you know. Link, was that your name before?"

Link froze, and then he ducked his head guiltily, shuffling uncomfortably. He swallowed, and his hands dropped to clasp behind his back instead.

"Kinda," he said softly. "My last name. Everyone called me by it." He glanced up. "How'd you _know?_ I never told anyone."

Coulson relaxed. He'd been right. At the same time, a whole new flood of worries opened up. "Do you know a girl named Lenalee?"

* * *

Somehow, confirming his suspicions about Link turned into taking Link back with him on a visit to the Playground.

Wrangling permission from his mother had taken a few days and some doing, and Coulson wasn't sure his ears would ever stop ringing. But in the end, he was able to bring Link to the Playground with him, which was good, because the boy had started worrying the moment he brought up Lenalee's name. They must have been close.

As it turned out, Link was as tight-lipped about his past life as Lenalee was; he'd been twenty-two when he died, and he'd worked with Lenalee before, but for someone else before that. And that was all Link would tell him.

Coulson had to admit, he was a little rattled. Link was sitting beside him, head down and hands clasped in his lap, radiating guilt, and if Coulson had had less control, he wouldn't have been able to take his eyes off him.

Link was, by this time, twenty-seven years old, chronologically. Mentally, caught somewhere between twenty-two and five. Emotionally… if he'd been in the same line of work as Lenalee, probably just as badly damaged. Coulson grimaced and tried not to worry too hard.

They'd figure it out. They had all the more reason to, now.

They'd figure it out.

The Quinjet landed and he offered Link his hand. Link considered him, then shrugged and took it, and both of them exited the plane.

Link was acting jittery, which, from what Coulson could recall from his surveillance (yes, he was keeping an eye on his family, of course he was) was unusual for the quiet boy. He was looking around and squirming and shifting from foot to foot. He seemed _nervous._

Then again, maybe he had a right to be.

"This is the main base of SHIELD," Coulson explained to Link as they entered, and Link looked around, brown eyes flickering over the doors and agents. "Most of the agents stay here, since SHIELD is in a rather… precarious position at the moment."

Link looked up at him, frowning. "Precarious?" he questioned warily. Why had he ever thought Link might be a normal preschooler?

"Legally," Coulson explained blandly, and then asked a nearby agent, "Where is Agent May?" Wherever Melinda was, Lenalee could usually be found.

The junior agent cringed slightly at being addressed by the director of SHIELD, then got himself together enough to say, "The meeting room, I believe, sir."

Coulson nodded. "Thank you."

Link fell silent, his anxiety visibly returning. Coulson pointed out each room to him as they passed by, nodding to a few of the agents he was more familiar with, and then, finally, reached the meeting room.

Inside, Lenalee was sitting on Melinda's lap, coloring. Melinda was in turn sitting at the table, across from Rosalind, apparently having some sort of silent contest of wills.

"Melinda, Rosalind, Lenalee," Coulson greeted mildly, wondering if Rosalind was ever going to get along with any of his agents.

Melinda and Rosalind looked up, and a moment later, Lenalee did, too.

Lenalee's reaction was instant; she froze, eyes widening in fear. Coulson felt Link's hand tighten around his and frowned, looking down at him, a furrow appearing in his brow. Link hadn't said anything that might explain this kind of reaction.

"Lenalee," Link breathed, sounding relieved and afraid and worried all at once. His expression was almost pleading, brown eyes wide and intent on the little girl.

Lenalee just stared at him, rigid in Melinda's lap. Melinda picked up on this easily and swept her closer, looking up at Coulson, silently demanding an explanation.

Rosalind picked up on the byplay, but of course, she had never been told about Lenalee - she had no idea what was going on.

"This is my nephew Link," Coulson explained to them, focused alternately on Lenalee and on Melinda, who seemed to understand instantly. "As it turns out, he's like Lenalee. I thought they might like to see each other."

Link released his hand and took a step forward, and Lenalee shrank back, dropping her crayon and instead moving to fist her hand in Melinda's shirt, pressing back into her mother. Link stopped.

"Like Lenalee," Rosalind repeated quietly, sounding thoughtful, eyes questioning on Coulson. Coulson shook his head subtly; he'd have to explain later. Oops.

Rosalind nodded at him in acknowledgement and glanced back to the two children, gaze perhaps more discerning than Coulson would have liked, but at least not scheming. Melinda didn't like it, though; she gave the other woman a displeased look before leaning slightly to murmur in Lenalee's ear.

"Don't worry, baby girl. Nothing can hurt you here, remember? I won't let anything happen."

Lenalee took a big breath and nodded hesitantly, and her gaze fell on Link, looking downright frightened. Coulson's chest twinged with worry; something had happened between them. Maybe it was a misunderstanding, maybe not, but there was _something_ that had never been resolved.

"I'm sorry," Link blurted out, pained and pleading. Lenalee's breath hitched. No one else spoke; as much as Coulson hated it, they couldn't really help here.

"D-di' you know?" Lenalee whispered, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at Coulson's nephew, still clinging to Melinda, who'd wrapped her arms around her and didn't look ready to let go anytime soon.

Link's cheeks flushed with shame and he shook his head quickly, the threat of tears present in his eyes as well. Suspicion started to bloom in Coulson's mind. "I didn't! I swear I didn't!"

"Link," Coulson said, at once quelling and comforting, and Link fell silent, chest heaving. He reached up and scrubbed at his eyes, and then he looked at Coulson, who crouched down briefly to thread his fingers through Link's hair and angle his head up slightly. "It's okay. I'm sure you did the best you could." He actually had no idea what he was talking about.

Link knew it, too; he pushed his hand away and stepped back, looking frustrated. "You don't even know what happened," he muttered, shuffling his feet. He looked up at Lenalee, who was still staring at him, breathing hard and shaky with fear. "I…" He trailed off.

Melinda looked over Lenalee's head to Coulson, who had straightened up again. Coulson shrugged helplessly - he had no idea what was going on, outside of his dawning suspicions. He glanced at Rosalind, who was studying both children, brow furrowed and gaze sharp, but then she glanced back, sighed, and said,

"Why don't you tell us, then, Link?"

Link looked up at her quickly, eyes wide, and then at Lenalee, who, though scared, hadn't looked away. Uncertainty crossed his face, and then resolve, and he nodded, scrambling over and hauling himself into a chair not far from Lenalee and Melinda. Lenalee flinched slightly, but Melinda shushed her until she stopped shaking. Link waited, visibly anxious.

"They locked me up as soon as I got back," he belted out as soon as she calmed down, like he was scared his chance would be taken from him. All of his attention was on Lenalee, so he didn't see Coulson grimace as he realized Link was going to be starting in the middle of the story. "They didn't tell me anything for a few days, and I couldn't even activate, because they took my Innocence and the walls were lined with seals."

"Why?" Lenalee asked softly. She'd calmed down a little just from that, but her face was still scrunched up and upset. Coulson wanted to know that, too, actually.

Link shrugged. "Same reason they wanted you, I guess. They didn't trust any of the exorcists, not even me. I mean…" He trailed off and looked down at his wrists, and his nose crinkled, a deep, uncertain frown on his face. "I guess I'd proven I wasn't loyal to CROW anymore."

CROW. A bucket of freezing water seemed to dump itself over Coulson's head and solidify around his heart, making it cold and heavy. Link had worked for CROW.

Coulson didn't know much about them; Lenalee, understandably, didn't like to talk about them. But he knew that they had killed her. And apparently, Link, too, in the end.

"Shit," he breathed, frustration and worry pressing down on him like an anvil's weight. They needed to figure this out; it was gradually climbing his priority list, because there was a lot they didn't know, and a lot they needed to.

Link shot him a guilty look, and then returned his eyes to Lenalee. "They told me what they were going to do to all of you, but I couldn't even escape to tell you, or I would have, I promise. But…" His breath hitched and he looked so _frustrated._ "They executed me about three days after I got there."

Rosalind's gaze was heavy on Coulson, who winced.

"For what offense?" Rosalind asked, not looking away, tense and stiff.

Link huffed a little, scuffing his shoe against the leg of the chair. "Treason. Heresy. Betrayal. Take your pick, I guess." He shrugged. "They get everyone who gets away. You don't just _quit_ CROW, you know?"

So CROW was _that_ kind of organization, Coulson noted faintly. Somehow, he wasn't surprised.

"Oh," Lenalee said softly, and Link glanced back up at her hesitantly as she visibly considered.

Lenalee wriggled to be let down. Melinda obeyed with reluctance, and she scampered over to stand in front of Link. She looked up at him for a long moment, and he looked back down, confused. Finally, Lenalee smiled and hugged him. He stiffened a little with surprise, and then, almost desperately, hugged back.

"Miss you, Link," she murmured, letting go only just before things got awkward to smile up at him. "I' good t'see you 'gain."

He replied with a small, but pleased smile, and Rosalind cleared her throat.

"Director Coulson?" she said pointedly, and he let out a sigh somewhere between resigned and humorous.

"Agent May, would you mind taking the kids for a moment? Apparently I have some explaining to do."

"Better you than me," Melinda muttered, standing up, and she considered Link for a very long moment before sighing as well. "Well, kids, it looks like we have to leave the adults to talk. Let's go do something fun."

 _Do not,_ she reminded herself, _judge people by the things they_ could _do._ It didn't sound like Link had done anything wrong, just people he'd once worked with. And after all, Melinda didn't have the best record in that respect herself.

Besides. He was only five.

Lenalee giggled and nodded quickly, and took Link's hand to lead him onward.

"Where're we going?" Link asked her, cocking an eyebrow curiously, sliding off the seat again.

"Pwaywoom," she answered, casting her eyes to the ground. She still giggled when Melinda looked at some of the other agents and made them scurry away in terror, and Melinda glanced back to give her a small smile and a wink. "You 'kay?"

Link started slightly, and then looked down at her and genuinely thought about it for a moment. He nodded. "Yeah. It's not as scary to think about it anymore." He considered her and frowned. "Are you?"

She smiled brightly and nodded, but she didn't look at him. His brow furrowed and he prodded her.

"It's okay to be scared," he told her, and she didn't reply.

Melinda, unseen by either of them, frowned, and then opened the door to the playroom and glanced back. "Chin up, baby girl. No one's scared of a girl who won't look them in the eye."

Lenalee giggled softly and Link gave Melinda a curious look, then shot Lenalee a questioning one, to which the girl nodded with a shy smile. Link shrugged and smiled back, and both of them followed the adult into the playroom.

Inside, the toys were organized in a meticulously orderly fashion. Lenalee made a beeline straight for a few foam noodles and picked one up, hesitated, then turned and offered it to Link, who took it with a frown.

Lenalee picked up one of her own, gave the ground a small, mischievous smile, and then whirled to challenge him with a squeal of, "En garde!"

And then she overbalanced and fell on her butt. Melinda stifled a laugh. "Maybe try that again, baby girl."

She huffed and pouted, but Link laughed and held out a hand, which she took. He pulled her to her feet, stepped back, and brandished the 'sword' with a small smile of his own. "Come and get me, exorcist," he said playfully, and Lenalee, to Melinda's surprise, laughed before launching her attack.

Melinda settled back to watch the two play with interest, lapsing into thought.

It had been a genuine surprise when Coulson came back with his nephew, saying he was the same as Lenalee. She would have thought that Lenalee was the only one, but apparently not. And in the same line of work, too? That couldn't be a coincidence.

...Were there more? And would Lenalee want to see them? Melinda shook her head. Of course Lenalee would want to see them; they were her friends, bad memories or no. She'd made that much clear. Melinda smiled faintly.

It was good to know that Lenalee had made good friends. Now, the question was, what would it take to find them? Goodness knows they probably couldn't find her. Not at the heart of _this_ organization.

Watching them play, it occurred to Melinda that it was actually possible to tell, just from this, that the two children had once fought. She'd had her suspicions - Lenalee had said several things that seemed to lean that way - but this was the first real solid evidence she had.

In tiny, maladjusted bodies, their movements were clumsy and unpracticed, but the technique at the heart of the movements was obvious if you knew what to look for. This was no wanton child's play, except for how it _was._

Melinda smiled ruefully. That was her girl. A little bundle of contradictions.

It wasn't quite working out for them, though; they kept trying to do things they couldn't do, which was interesting. Lenalee wasn't nearly as fast or as agile as she was trying to be, and the only reason Link had the power he needed was because he was bigger than Lenalee, which wasn't difficult.

Link, Melinda noted, was also a lot better with a foam pole than Lenalee. She wondered what weapon he'd once used.

"Staff," Link said absently. She frowned, and he glanced up at her and smiled.

"Did I say that out loud?" she asked him, genuinely wondering. He shook his head, and then yelped as Lenalee whacked him in the side.

"No. But I would've been curious, so I thought you might've been." He blocked Lenalee's sword… or staff, apparently, with his. "And I used a staff, Paradigm Shaft. Lenalee mostly used her legs, 'cause her weapon was her Dark Boots."

Apparently, unlike here, where the heroes were granted (inflicted with) fancy names, they'd named their presumably preternatural weapons. That probably said something about them, but she wasn't sure what just yet.

Lenalee smiled and nodded. "I no good wih weapons," she admitted with a giggle. She dropped her staff and Link yelped as he tried to stop himself mid-swing and nearly fell over. "Wanna pway someting else? I have legos."

"Sure," Link shrugged.

"Remember to put the noodles away," Melinda warned before they could abandon them, and Lenalee nodded quickly before scurrying off, noodle bobbing in her hand.

* * *

At the end of the day, of course, Link had to return home again. He and Lenalee hugged their goodbyes, and Coulson promised to make sure they could play together again soon before taking his nephew and leaving.

Not long after that, it was time for little girls to go to bed, so Melinda helped Lenalee change into a set of dark red pajamas and then tucked her into bed.

"Did you have fun today, baby girl?" she asked her, sitting on the edge of her bed. Lenalee smiled at her sleepily and nodded.

"Uh-huh. I gla' I coul' see Link." Then she hesitated, and Melinda brushed her hair back with a concerned frown.

"Lenalee?"

"Mommy, d'you tink my othew fweinds're 'round?" Lenalee's eyes were large and worried, pleading with Melinda for an answer she'd like. Melinda sighed. "Awwen 'n Kanda 'n Lavi 'n othews?"

"I don't know, baby girl. But we'll look, okay? I promise."

Lenalee smiled at her. "'Kay," she said softly. Melinda smiled at her and reached for Lenalee's little stuffed rabbit, which Lenalee received with another smile and a soft, contented sigh.

"Now, which story would like me to read to you tonight?" Melinda asked her.


	25. Scattered Pages, Ups and Downs

"Income? Uh, do we have any?"

Scritch, scritch, shuffle. Squeal.

"Technically, Stark pays us." Natasha absently caught Allen as he started to slip from where he clung stubbornly, one-handed, to her shoulder. "Stark Industries, maybe." She considered, and then wrinkled her nose. Allen fell off and tumbled onto Steve's lap. "No, privately employed. I wouldn't work for Stark Industries if my life depended on it."

"Even though it's run by Pepper?" Steve asked with a small smile.

"Even though it's run by Pepper," Natasha confirmed, the corner of her mouth twitching with amusement.

Steve ruffled Allen's hair, smiled at his squeak, and replied, "Alright. Privately employed it is." He scratched it down. Allen sat up, pulled himself to his feet, and peeked at the piece of paper on the lap table. "Filling out adoption paperwork probably shouldn't be this hard."

"Don't be a baby," Natasha told him. "It's not their fault we're strange." Allen tilted his head at her, silver eyes gleaming worriedly, and she smiled at him briefly. He smiled back after a moment, and she continued, "And it'll certainly be an interesting day for whatever poor schmuck gets stuck with the job of filing this."

Steve and Allen both laughed, and Allen asked, "Stwan' day?"

"A very strange day," Steve confirmed with a smile, and then, to Natasha, "Name… Allen Rogers-Romanoff?"

Yelp. Thud.

In unison, both adults looked down. On the ground, Allen, who had apparently fallen off and hit his head on the ground, started to sniffle, a high whine rising in the back of his throat, quickly stifled.

Instantly, Steve's eyes widened in alarm and he swept Allen back up into his lap, all paperwork forgotten and shoved aside. "Sh, sh, don't cry," he told Allen, even as tears welled in the boy's eyes, rocking him gently. "Sh, you're okay, you're okay."

Allen sniffled and rubbed angrily at his eyes with one fist. The whine he couldn't do anything about, but he hated to cry. He had nothing to cry about. Nothing!

The sharp pain in the back of his head insisted, though, and strangled whimpers wrung themselves out of his lungs, tears spilling down his face.

But in front of him, Steve murmured reassuring words in a frantic tone, rubbing his side comfortingly with one large hand. At his back, Natasha gently parted his hair to examine where he'd hit his head.

That made it worse, because Allen didn't even know how to react anymore; he just stared at them, wide-eyed and a little bit confused.

Steve and Natasha were like something out of a dream, the nice kind he'd stopped having early in his last life. They were gentle and kind and loving, and they treated him like a real toddler, and they never yelled or hurt him, they picked him up - they were even going to adopt him. They'd _asked_ him for _permission._

And he'd - he'd given it. Without a second thought. Because they were _everything Allen had ever wanted._

But Mana had been, too. And look how that turned out. Allen sniffled again and Steve shushed him, smoothing down his hair, so gentle it almost hurt.

Allen was so scared. But he wasn't going to let fear get in his way. Not with this.

And if he got hurt again, that was nothing new. He'd get better. He always had before, and it was worth it. It was always worth it.

Steve rocked Allen until he stopped sniffling, humming a tune Allen didn't recognize. It was a little awkward and a little off-key, but it was strangely soothing anyway, accompanied by Natasha's comments and questions as she returned to the paperwork, as reassuring and steady a presence as Steve.

Even when Allen quieted, Steve kept him in place. Allen's cheek was pressed against his chest, hand fisted in his shirt, but the boy still peeked up at him as Steve chuckled softly, sounding relieved.

"That was scary, wasn't it, Allen?"

Allen nodded. "Scawy," he echoed, even though he and Steve weren't talking about the same thing. He leaned against him, feeling Steve's broad chest move up and down in time with his breaths, his hand settling on Allen's back.

He felt safe like this. It was strange.

"I swear you two are going to give me cavities," Natasha murmured with a slight smile, eyes still on the papers. Regardless, she reached and cupped her free hand around the back of Allen's neck, and he wriggled and laughed until she released him, amused.

Allen felt even safer, inexplicably, with Natasha than he had with Steve. He'd never had a mother before. He hadn't ever thought he would. And he hadn't known Natasha very long, but it felt like he had, and she'd never done anything to hurt him. Not once.

Steve gave her an affectionate look. "How else are you going to fill your photo album?"

Natasha's photo album was a very private thing - a guilty pleasure. She'd started it when she and Steve first started to date, but it had expanded to include all members of both Avengers teams, the two boys, and now Allen as well.

Steve's favorites were the picture of him and Natasha the day he proposed, Thor carrying Lavi while the boy posed like he was flying, Tony and Bruce laughing at confetti-covered and indignant Clint, Yuu, Sam, and Scott working together on a puzzle, and a picture FRIDAY had taken of Allen's expression the moment Natasha asked if he wanted them to adopt him.

Each photograph was meticulously labelled with names, dates, ages, and descriptions, and Steve knew Natasha treasured every single one. By now, the album - discrete off-white and almost as thick as Natasha's wrist - was almost full.

Steve had already bought another one for her, patterned like an antique leather-bound book. He'd give it to her when she ran out of room. The new camera, he was saving for Christmas.

Natasha rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. These boys would be the death of her someday. "I suppose I'll just have to fill it with pictures of the others," she said teasingly, and Steve laughed.

"That wouldn't last past Allen's next grin," he told her, and Allen beamed, eyes sparkling. She laughed, softer than Steve, but just as amused.

"No, I suppose not. I guess I'll just have to brush my teeth before bed, won't I, little angel?"

Allen giggled and nodded, and then all three of them looked up at the sound of footsteps.

Wanda gave them all a small smile. "Am I interrupting?" she asked. "I wished to borrow Allen, but I can come back."

"Not at all," Steve assured her, and Natasha nodded. Allen stood up and cocked his head at Wanda.

Allen was less certain about the other Avengers than he was about Steve and Natasha, but Lavi and Kanda liked them, and that went a long way toward helping him feel safe, even as tiny and vulnerable as he was now. He still felt a little nervous around most of them, with the sole exceptions of Scott and…

He held out his arm. "Wan'a!" he called insistently.

Allen liked Steve and Natasha best, of course, but he wasn't ever going to say no when Wanda wanted to spend time with him.

"Someday I'll find out what you two are doing together," Natasha threatened with a playful smirk. "Lavi is very suspicious, you know."

"Lavi is a funny boy," Wanda said fondly, crossing the room. She crouched in front of Allen and smiled gently. "Do you want to play, Allen?"

"Mm-hm," Allen nodded, and Wanda smiled and picked him up, exceedingly careful.

"Thank you," Wanda said, both to Allen and to the couple on the couch, and Natasha waved it away while Steve smiled.

"No problem. Bring him back when you're ready." He waved. "I'll see you soon, Allen."

Allen waved back. "Buh-bye, Nat! Buh-bye, Cap!"

Wanda sort of reminded Allen of Miranda, if Miranda replaced her fear with sadness. She'd first approached him a few days after he'd met the whole team, but Lavi and Kanda hadn't been around at the time, and neither had Steve or Natasha, so Allen had been a little skittish.

His first reaction had been to push himself back, away from her, but as soon as she'd noticed that, she'd stopped where she stood, something hardly anyone thought to do.

And then, from where she was, she started to talk to him - just her and him, alone in the living room. She told him a story about a little girl, Wanda Maximoff, and her brother Pietro.

Sometime during the third story, she'd started to cry in silent tears, and he'd slowly crawled across the floor and stopped in front of her. Without warning, she'd pulled him onto her lap… and kept telling him stories, like now that she'd started she couldn't stop.

Curled up in her lap, Allen had listened quietly, never taking his eyes off her face, fear slowly fading away.

And ever since then, Wanda had taken him away to talk to him - about her home, her brother, her parents - at least once every few days. Allen… liked it. Liked the stories.

Wanda took Allen to her room now, a large but comfortable one with a big window and somber, warm colors. She set Allen on her lap and reached into her nightstand drawer, where she kept a few treats for him, for these days.

"Are you looking forward to being adopted?" Wanda asked him, twisting the cap off a packet of squeeze applesauce and giving it to him.

He took it and bobbed his head, smiling. "Tank you!" he said - even now with a much smaller appetite, he always appreciated food - and then said, "Yeah. Cap an' Nat nice."

"They're very nice," Wanda agreed fondly, watching as he latched onto the packet and suckled at it happily. "Are you ready to hear a story?"

Allen nodded, looking back to her expectantly. She sighed, smiled, and then started to speak, in soft and wistful tones.

"I can remember… one time, when my brother and I were almost as little as Lavi and Yuu, and I was afraid to go out in the snow." She laughed. Allen laughed, too. "It was very cold that day, you see, and I was sure I would catch my death - Mother always warned me so. Pietro, of course, did not care-"

Allen listened, Wanda's body warm against his back, her arm secure instead of scary, her voice soft instead of harsh, and the taste of applesauce coating his tongue.

Wanda would never be Natasha, but she might be a big sister. Maybe.

It had been a month and a half.

* * *

Bucky woke up.

At first, he wasn't able to identify what had woken him, and he frowned at the ceiling and then tried to go back to sleep.

With his eyes closed again, he became suddenly aware of the sound of fast breathing, tiny whimpers, and twitchy movements right beside him.

A moment later, Yuu jerked sharply, and the whimpers cut off abruptly. Bucky felt Yuu squirm closer to him, pressing against his chest and shaking, warm breath spilling onto his shirt along with hot tears.

Bucky frowned in worry, and then it dawned on him. Yuu had had a nightmare - had maybe been having nightmares for a long time, if he was this quiet.

Bucky closed his eyes again and reached with one arm to wrap it around Yuu, wishing he could keep him there, safe and sound, forever. Well, maybe not forever. Just until he was twenty. Or thirty. "I'm sorry, Yuu," he whispered hoarsely, feeling Yuu tense up and then relax again.

Yuu's cheek pressed into his chest. "Not your fault," he mumbled, fist tightening. "Not you."

If not Bucky, then who? "I'm sorry," Bucky repeated helplessly, wishing he knew and wishing he was better and _wishing,_ and he heard Yuu sigh.

For a while, both of them just lay there, unwilling to move or to slip back into sleep. Finally, when light started to spill in through the window, Bucky sighed and levered himself up. Yuu grumbled, but followed, looking up at him with a questioning frown and gleaming navy eyes.

Bucky spent a few long moments staring at his son, who wrinkled his nose in response to the scrutiny. He wondered if Yuu's nightmares were also part of his secret. He wondered what he'd have to do to get Yuu to tell him.

He wondered how much Yuu understood of what might happen if the government took him away, what Tony and Steve and Rhodey were trying to do to keep him out of their hands. He wondered how Yuu would respond if he were taken away, or if Yuu ever worried about HYDRA finding them and taking them back.

Instead of asking any of that, though, he asked, "What do you think of your new friends?"

Yuu stopped looking suspicious and looked at the ground instead, kicking his feet so they thumped against the bed on the backswing. "They're okay," he mumbled, shrugging. "Stupid rabbit's really 'nnoying."

"I'm sure he takes that as a compliment," Bucky replied, allowing a hint of dry humor to infect his voice. Yuu snorted and nodded. Then he was silent for a few long moments, long enough for Bucky to prompt, "And Allen?"

"...Sprout's too small," was all Yuu said, and he pushed himself off the bed and scurried to the dresser where his clothes were kept.

* * *

Paper and crayons lay scattered across the ground. The three boys were engrossed in their drawings, and Steve, sitting next to Natasha, watched them fondly. Beside him, there was a click, and he glanced over in time to watch Natasha make her camera disappear. He caught her eye and she winked at him coyly, and Steve chuckled.

None of this did anything to dispel the tension in the air.

Within the next few minutes, Allen's caseworker was due for the first visit. Steve was almost nauseous with nerves, and he knew that Natasha and Allen were little better.

That was why Lavi and Yuu were here, actually. Natasha had enlisted their help to keep Allen's mind off the impending visit, and they had agreed almost instantly. It was sort of sweet, really, how protective they were of their much smaller friend.

Natasha nudged Steve, drawing his attention. "Don't lose your nerve now, old man." She paused, a mischievous smile flicking across her face, and then added, "If you're planning to come over all swooning maiden, tell me now so I can find a fainting couch."

Steve blew out a breath and smiled ruefully. "I promise not to faint. I just… didn't expect it to mean this much to me, when we finally did this."

Natasha sighed and kissed him on the jaw. "Neither did I," she admitted. A smile appeared on her face again, lingering a little longer this time. "What's the little angel done to us, huh?"

Steve chuckled quietly. "He's forced you to see what a wonderful mother you make," he said warmly.

For the briefest moment, Natasha looked startled, and then she smiled, glancing away. "Don't be ridiculous. I don't do anything a mother should; _you_ do."

Steve still laughed. "I'll be his mother, then, and you can be his father."

Natasha rolled her eyes at him, but she was smiling now, relaxed. "Well, you do have a pretty enough face."

Steve would have tossed something back, but the sound of the elevator drew their attention, and a dark-skinned man with short, springy black hair and raven-rimmed glasses stepped in, straight-backed and businesslike, and maybe a little uncomfortable. Well, Natasha wouldn't hold it against him. Not just anyone could enter Avengers Tower.

Instantly, Allen ducked his head down, and Lavi and Yuu pressed in closer on either side of him. Yuu also gave the caseworker a truly awe-inspiring stink-eye, crayon paused over his paper.

Steve and Natasha, meanwhile, went to greet him. He cocked an eyebrow at their approach and then smiled back, holding out a hand.

"Hello," he greeted as they approached. "I was told to enter?"

"Stark forgot to warn us," Natasha said dryly, shaking his hand. "I assume you're the caseworker?"

"Tyrell Westly," the man confirmed with a nod, tugging at his sleeve, apparently subconsciously. "How do you and the good captain want to be addressed?"

Natasha smiled tightly. "Our given names are fine, thank you." She nodded to the boys. "The redhead is Tony's son Lavi, and the one with long hair is Yuu, Bucky's son. Allen's in the middle; he's a little nervous."

Tyrell gave them both a friendly, if tense smile, and tugged at his sleeve again. "Thank you. Now, I know you both are very busy people, so let's get down to business."

Steve and Natasha both nodded, and the three of them moved to the couch. Still sprawled on the ground, Yuu snorted.

"Stupid busybody," he grumbled mutinously, and Lavi chuckled, nervousness shining clearly through the sound.

"Yuu, be nice. He just doin' his job, you know?"

"Don't _care._ Not his business who Steve and Tasha adopt, is it?"

"Actually, it kind of is."

"They want it, sprout wants it, what else _matters?"_ Yuu scowled petulantly. Between them, Allen shrugged.

"Caweful," Allen murmured softly, gazing pensively at his scribbles. "Bein' caweful."

"That's right, they're just being careful," Lavi agreed enthusiastically. "Don't worry about it, Yuu. Not like they're gonna say _no."_ He threw out his arms, exasperated. "It's Uncle Steve and Aunt Tasha! He's gotta see they'll be good for Allen, else he's _blind."_

Yuu scowled blackly, but didn't argue any further, instead returning to his drawing.

Allen couldn't manage anything coherent yet, but Lavi's was clearly the sun over a forest, and Yuu drew a muddy lake full of people. Yuu's drawings were very disturbing sometimes.

"Allen," Steve called suddenly, startling all three of them. Allen's head jerked up, eyes going round, and Lavi nudged him.

"C'mon, beansprout. You'll be fine, 'kay?"

Yuu grunted but nodded in agreement, nudging Allen a little more forcefully than Lavi had. "Go on. Get it over with, yeah?"

Allen swallowed and nodded, and then he clambered to his feet and scurried over to the couch where the three adults were seated.

Tyrell was smiling at him, warm and friendly, but Allen just stared at him apprehensively and edged toward Steve.

"Allen, this is Tyrell," Steve explained to Allen, lifting him onto his lap. Allen scooted back, away from Tyrell, and Steve sighed and smiled ruefully. "He's going to help us adopt you." To Tyrell, he added, "Allen gets very nervous around people he hasn't met before."

"That's fine," Tyrell assured him, and bent down so his head was more level with Allen's. Allen eyed him warily. "Hello, Allen. It's very good to meet you."

Allen stared at him with clear trepidation.

"I'm going to ask you some questions," Tyrell continued, "but you don't have to answer if you don't want to. Okay?"

Allen nodded slowly.

"Thank you, Allen," Natasha said, and when he looked up and made eye contact with her, she smiled. After a moment, he smiled back, and then looked back to Tyrell, a little reassured.

"Do you like Steve and Natasha?" Tyrell started, leaning back again. He had a clipboard, Allen noted. He nodded again. "Did they explain what adoption meant to you?"

Of course they had. What did Tyrell take them for? Allen frowned at him and nodded again, and Tyrell chuckled.

"I know, I know, it may seem like a silly question." He reached toward Allen's face, but stopped when Allen leaned away, a small squeak of dismay working its way out of him. "Can you tell me how you got your scar?"

Well. Technically, he could. Allen tried to glare and scooted back, closer into Steve. Tyrell sighed and then looked at Steve.

"Can you?"

"Is it important?" Steve asked gingerly, also frowning. Tyrell shrugged.

"I know you haven't had him long enough to have given it to him - it's far too old - but it might look suspicious later, so it's best that we document it now." His tone was apologetic, but he also didn't seem prepared to back down. He tugged at his sleeve again, clearly uncomfortable. A nervous tic, Natasha decided.

Steve sighed, but it was Natasha who answered. "We don't know, unfortunately. He had it when we found him - around a month and a half ago. Stark should have footage of the day we brought him here."

Tyrell nodded. "I'll look at it, thank you. And his arm?" It was covered up now, but it still stood out in its motionlessness.

"We _think_ it's a birth defect," Steve explained, but Allen had tensed in his lap again, pressing into Steve and staring at Tyrell with frightened eyes. "Allen hates talking about it, so if you don't mind…?"

Tyrell nodded, apologetic again and straightening a little more. "One last question. Has he been checked for any conditions?" His eyes lingered on Allen's hair for a moment, and Allen scowled at him for a split second before hiding his face from Tyrell's startled look, childishly covering it with his hand at the same time as he hid it in Steve's shirt.

"He has," Natasha confirmed, "but we didn't find anything. I'm afraid we're still in the dark about that."

"I see," Tyrell nodded. "Thank you very much, Allen." Allen peeked back up to frown at him, more suspicious than nervous now. "Steve, Natasha, would you mind if I spoke to Lavi and Yuu for a moment?" He gave them a small smile. "I think Allen has had quite enough of me."

"Of course," Steve agreed instantly, and Tyrell inclined his head in gratitude before moving over to speak to the the boys who hadn't returned to their papers since Allen left. Behind him, Allen let out a soft sigh of relief.

Yuu scowled at him as he approached, and even Lavi wasn't smiling, head tipped thoughtfully. Tyrell smiled reassuringly and sat cross-legged in front of them, placid.

"Hello. My name is Tyrell. Did anyone explain to you what I'm doing here?"

Yuu pushed himself up and frowned at him, but Lavi nodded.

"Yeah, Steve and Tasha told us," he confirmed, crossing his arms under him. He smiled, a strange smile for a four-year-old. "Whatcha want?"

"I just want to speak to you about Steve and Natasha for a moment," Tyrell promised. "What do you think of them?"

"They've always been really nice," Lavi answered, gaze unwavering, mouth still and smile gone. "An' they really want a baby, you know? They did for a long time, an' they were really sad that Tasha couldn't have one." His smile returned. "I'm glad they like Allen, 'cause I do, too." He tilted his head. "Sprout can stay, right?"

"Thank you, Lavi, and that's what I'm here to make sure of," Tyrell smiled. He looked at the other boy, who had thus far remained silent. "Yuu? Do you have anything to say?"

Yuu changed position and dropped his head onto his knees, frowning at him. Finally, though, he said, "Steve and Tasha are good to me. They'll be good to sprout, too." He held up two fingers. "First, 'cause they don't know how to be mean." Tyrell laughed. Yuu wasn't joking. "An' second, 'cause being mean to the sprout is like kicking a puppy." He dropped his hand, satisfied. "So don't worry about it."

Tyrell laughed. "Alright, Yuu, I'll try. Thank you for talking to me."

"Yeah, sure," Yuu snorted.

* * *

"It'd be fun!" Lavi insisted.

"It's _stupid,"_ Kanda countered irritably. Kanda was no fun.

Allen, seated on the ground while the two of them argued, giggled softly, silver eyes bright as his gaze flicked between them. Lavi paused to grin at him.

"You think it'd be fun too, right, Allen?"

Allen shrugged. "Couldn'," he dismissed, glancing down. Climbing up the bookshelf would be fun, but at this size, hard enough even with two working arms.

"We'll help you!" Lavi said confidently. "Right, Yuu?"

Kanda crossed his arms and grumbled, but finally, he muttered a sulky, "Fine."

The bookshelf was steady, mounted to the wall, so it barely wobbled as Lavi hauled himself up, brow furrowed and nose scrunched in concentration. Kanda was right behind him, and Allen waited patiently at the bottom.

It was currently a rare moment they got to themselves, unsupervised by adults. Normally, Lavi and Kanda would take this time to spar, still trying to get back into their old rhythm, but since Allen couldn't exactly participate at the moment and they both agreed that they didn't want to leave him alone (or worse, with _Tyrell,_ who was currently at the tower on yet another visit) they'd decided to do something else.

Lavi and Kanda were… different, from how Allen remembered. Not just in the obvious ways, either. For one thing, Lavi was more free with his emotions, as genuinely carefree as Allen had ever seen him, and as friendly with one Avenger as the next. Kanda, meanwhile, was quieter - while he was still as irritable as Allen remembered, he was less aggressive, too.

Allen sort of liked the change. They seemed happier.

They were also, strangely enough, really protective of him. It made him feel warm, but he also knew that right now, none of them could really do much, for themselves or for each other. They were helpless, and vulnerable, and-

Lavi distracted Allen from his thoughts when he reached the second shelf, turning and grinning at Allen.

"First stop," Lavi announced, and he reached down and hooked his hand under Allen's left armpit, hauling him up while Allen pulled himself with his other arm, huffing and kicking his legs with the effort.

It was a strain on both of them, but a fun one. With Lavi's help, Allen struggled onto the second shelf, and then grinned on reaching it. When he looked up, Kanda, on the third shelf, was studying him, frowning.

"Tiny beansprout," Kanda muttered finally, and Allen was torn between fond exasperation and outright irritation. Same old Kanda.

Before Allen could decide on a reaction, Kanda reached down and grabbed him by the back of his shirt, and Allen was left to yelp and scramble for purchase as he was hauled up again.

It was as hard for Kanda as it had been for Lavi, but he wouldn't admit it. Instead, when Allen was safely on the third shelf, he just smirked at the smaller boy while Allen scowled at him.

When Allen looked up, Lavi was waiting patiently on the fourth shelf.

The bookshelf was only eight shelves high, but getting Allen up was slow going, so it took a while. Finally, though, Lavi reached the top - space limited by a few jars of junk - and crowed triumphantly.

"I'm king of the world!" he declared gleefully.

Kanda, only one shelf below, looked up at him and scowled. "Shut up, stupid rabbit. Lemme up." He shoved lightly at Lavi, mindful of the height.

"No room," Lavi said smugly, not budging.

"Make room!"

Allen let his legs dangle over the edge of the shelf and giggled quietly. Yes, much happier.

From his position, Allen was perfectly placed to watch Tony, Natasha, and Tyrell enter the room. For a moment, he stared, and then the color drained from his face, his heartbeat stuttering in fear.

No. No, no, no, he wasn't supposed to be up here, he was being bad, he shouldn't have done this, Steve and Tasha wouldn't want him anymore…!

"Beansprout?" he heard Lavi ask, concerned, at which point Allen realized he was hyperventilating. Then Lavi must have noticed what Allen had, because, very quietly, he said, "Uh-oh."

It was at about that moment that Tony noticed them.

Instantly, Allen could see the rationality leaving Tony's eyes, and his loud voice filled the room, too big, too loud; it hurt Allen's ears and he couldn't make out what Tony was saying. In turn, panic shorted out Allen's mind, and he forgot where he was and tried to get away, unbalanced, and the next thing he knew, he was falling.

He braced himself for impact - this would hurt - but it didn't come. At least, not the way he'd expected. When nothing hurt, he opened his eyes and looked up.

Natasha blew out a long, exasperated breath, Allen safely in her arms, having run across half the room and slid the rest of the way to catch him in time. "You're going to be the death of me, little angel."

Allen, eyes still wide and breath still coming too fast, tilted his head up to stare at her worriedly. "...No' mad?"

She visibly shuddered, jaw clenching for the briefest of moments, but then she took a deep breath.

"Not mad," she reassured him, smoothing his hair down with a tired smile. "Just don't do that again."

He looked down, avoiding her eyes. "...'Kay."

 _"What_ were you _thinking,_ you should _know_ better than this, Lavi-"

In the absence of panic, Allen could make out what Tony was saying, but his head still shot up, anxious eyes seeking out Lavi.

Tony had apparently gotten Lavi and Kanda down from the top of the shelf, and while Kanda was ignoring Tony entirely in favor of sending Tyrell periodic scowls, Lavi was staring up at his father, wide-eyed and guilty.

Tony was nice. Really nice. He loved Lavi and maybe Yuu, and he liked Allen.

It was easy to forget that, though, when he sounded so angry. The sound of his voice resonated in the room, still too loud, and settled in Allen's chest like a lead weight, making it hard to breathe. His eyes filled with tears and his breath stuttered, fingers clenching instinctively. As soon as she noticed, though, Natasha moved so he couldn't see Tony anymore.

"Sh, don't cry," she said to him, soft and quiet. "Tony's not really angry, he's just scared. Don't worry. You're fine, Lavi's fine, Yuu's fine."

"You could have gotten yourself hurt, or Yuu or Allen - did you think about what would happen if Allen fell from that height? Did you forget what would happen if you fell from that height?"

"Hey! Stay 'way from him!"

Allen still couldn't see, but he'd recognize Yuu's voice anywhere, angry and defensive. He peeked up to watch, faintly startled.

"Don't worry, Yuu," Tyrell said quietly. Kanda had hated him from the start, and made it clear for that same time period. Tyrell had handled it admirably well, but he was still a little thrown. "I'm not going to hurt them, okay? I just want to check on Allen."

Kanda huffed audibly. In the background, Tony had abruptly stopped scolding Lavi, and Allen could hear Lavi's uneven breaths, like he was close to tears, too. "Stay 'way! Let sprout alone!"

Tyrell sighed and looked over, and then moved to step past Kanda, apparently deeming him a lost cause. Kanda moved to intercept him and stood his ground again, as firm as if he still had the power to force Tyrell to obey.

"Stay _'way!"_ he spat.

It was funny. Unlike Tony's angry words, Kanda's were almost reassuring. Kanda would never hurt Allen. Not anymore.

Still, Allen was pretty sure that Kanda was well on his way to blowing up on Tyrell altogether, which would not be a pretty sight. He pushed lightly at Natasha to let him go, and she did, apparently interested. Allen stood up unsteadily and toddled toward Kanda, who was shaking slightly with anger and frustration.

Allen understood that, too. If Tyrell was really determined to get past Kanda, there wasn't anything Kanda could do to stop him.

"Yuu," Allen called, wishing he could communicate better. "It 'kay!"

Kanda whirled on him, glare searing, but Allen didn't flinch. After a moment, Kanda deflated and crossed his arms, scowling.

"He's dragging his feet," Kanda muttered, referring to the adoption process. Allen giggled softly.

"Doin' his job," he replied back, patting Kanda clumsily on the side. Kanda swatted away his hand halfheartedly. Tyrell chuckled at their antics, relaxing and also looking unsettlingly interested.

"He can certainly cool Yuu's temper when he wants to, huh?" Natasha said to Tony offhandedly, who offered a 'hm' of agreement. "It's like he dumped a bucket of cold water on it." They argued a lot, but then there were the times like this.

Kanda bristled, but it was halfhearted, and Lavi giggled reluctantly. Tony sighed, long-suffering.

"Can't take our eyes off any of you for five seconds," he mumbled, but Allen could hear the rueful smile in his voice.

Allen looked at Tyrell expectantly, eyes glimmering uncertainly; he wasn't especially fond of Tyrell, either, even if he was helping. It was harder to trust than it used to be.

"That was quite a fall, Allen," Tyrell told him, crouching down. "Are you okay?"

Allen nodded hesitantly, but made no move to approach.

"That's good," Tyrell said, satisfied. "I'm surprised you managed to get all the way up there."

Allen shrugged, ignored the implied question, and said, "No' in twouble?"

"No one's in trouble," Tyrell promised, turning softer and more solemn. "Kids do these things all the time, and…" He chuckled. "Even the best parents can't change that. Natasha was doing very well just to catch you."

Allen smiled hesitantly, and then turned around and looked worriedly at Lavi, not forgetting that Tony had just gotten through scolding him. Lavi looked a little sickly pale and still guilty, but he gave him a wink and a thumbs up anyway.

Allen's smile turned more confident. Everything was going to be okay.

They just needed to find Lenalee, now. He hoped she was okay. She would have loved to climb shelves, and she would've been laughing at them from the top even without her Boots.

* * *

"I missed you!" Lavi declared, attached to one of Pepper's legs like a leech. "You were gone for too long!"

"Yes, I was," Pepper agreed ruefully, reaching down to tangle her fingers in Lavi's hair. "I promise I'll try to avoid being away for that long in the future, okay?"

"Okay," Lavi agreed, not letting go.

"I agree with Lavi," Tony said firmly, leaning to kiss Pepper firmly on the lips before he drew away with a smirk. "Seriously, three months, Pep? I don't know how you even thought we'd survive without you."

"Well, you _look_ like you managed fine," Pepper tossed back, a smile playing about her lips. "Now, what's this I hear about eight adults and two kids moving in? Really, Tony…"

"Hey, what did you expect me to do?" Tony defended, crossing his arms and huffing like a child. Which was Lavi's job, thank you very much. Then he dropped them and turned more serious. "I couldn't turn them away, Pepper. They needed help."

Pepper sighed, deflating. "Yes, I know they did. And I'm glad. Really. Have you made up with Steve yet?"

"...Sort of?" Tony smiled winningly.

 _"Tony."_ At his sheepish smile, she sighed, straightened up, and looked down at Lavi. "Alright, Lavi. Feel like introducing me to your friends?"

Lavi held his thoughtful look for a few moments longer, and then he grinned. "Yeah!" He detached himself from her leg at last and turned to dart off, leaving Tony and Pepper to follow at the pace of normal human beings.

"He seems happier," Pepper said to Tony, quiet and wistful. Tony grinned.

"Yeah, isn't it great? The tower's so full now and there's always something going on, and he has so much fun-" Tony's smile faded. "Pepper?"

Pepper laughed wetly, wiping at her eyes with the palm of her hand. "It's nothing, Tony. I'm really glad." She shook her head and lowered her hand to smile at him, eyes sparkling. "You're happier, too, you know. You've sounded so worried lately."

"Have I?" Tony mused. Then he shrugged, and an impatient call from Lavi had them both hurrying into the living room.

Scott was sitting cross-legged on the ground, a Dr. Seuss book lying closed in his lap as he looked up curiously at the doorway. Yuu was pressed in on his left side, head tilted up to frown at the door, and Allen was leaning against his right, silver eyes wide. Lavi had slung himself over Scott's back, glowing with excitement.

"Finally!" Lavi complained when they came in.

"Hello," Pepper greeted Scott, voice bubbling with laughter. "You're Scott, right? I heard a lot about you."

"Hey, Mrs. Potts," Scott returned with a small smile, reaching up to shake her hand. "This isn't the most _dignified_ way to meet, but I'm guessing you're pretty used to little kids."

Allen and Lavi giggled, and Yuu smirked.

Pepper smiled affectionately. "Yes, Lavi's a little monster when he wants to be. Don't worry about it - you could never be as bad as Tony, anyway."

"Hey! I resemble that remark!"

Allen was staring up at her with huge eyes, and Yuu frowned at her suspiciously. She sat down in front of them, and Tony plopped down as well.

"Have you settled in alright?" Pepper asked Scott, concerned, still with half an eye on Yuu and Allen. Yuu looked every bit as grumpy as Lavi and Tony had claimed, with a defensive tilt to his body that would've been comical if it weren't so depressing. Allen, on the other hand, looked small and fragile in a way that seemed to directly contradict Lavi's stories and explained the worry that had threaded his voice when he talked about him. "I know the Avengers can be a lot to handle."

"No, no, they're fine," Scott hastened to assure her. "From what I understand, this team is a lot more, uh, low-key than the last one. I mean, Vision asks strange questions sometimes, and Wanda used to cry randomly, but no one walks around naked or explodes into green rage."

"I can hardly imagine," Pepper said honestly, and then finally, _finally,_ looked down. "Hello, Yuu, Allen. Lavi's told me all about you two."

Allen tilted his head, looking anxious and uncertain, but Yuu snorted.

"Lavi's talked about you, too," he said grudgingly, and then tacked on, "Seem okay."

And instantly, Pepper was amused. All three adults chuckled, and Lavi and Allen, too.

"I'm glad I'm okay," Pepper told Yu, and then looked at Allen. She considered him, and then said to Lavi, "You lied to me. He isn't cute. He's _adorable."_

Allen gave her a startled look, and then turned bright red and hid his face in Scott's side. Scott chuckled.

"Don't pick on Allen, that's mean," he teased lightly; he'd gained confidence when it came to dealing with important people. "Try Yuu instead; he makes the funniest face when you call him cute."

Yuu scowled and pinched Scott hard enough to make him wince. "Not _cute."_

"You hit," Lavi said gleefully. "I'll tell Bucky!"

"Don't you dare, rabbit!"

Tony nudged Pepper, a silly grin on his face. "Aren't they _great?"_ he asked her, and she laughed at him and kissed his cheek.

"Yes, they are."

* * *

The government guy was here again.

Kanda crossed his arms and scowled, leaning against the wall just outside the living room, listening. He didn't trust Tyrell as far as he could throw him, and every visit made Kanda hate him more.

He hated that Allen's fate rested in this man's hands. He hated that he was putting it off for so long. And he _hated_ that he couldn't _do_ anything about it.

"Well, you certainly _sound_ ready," Tyrell admitted from the other room, and Kanda relaxed slightly. Was he done? Was he finally fucking done? In the next moment, though, Tyrell continued, "But there's another issue I'd like to address. Are you sure that this is a safe environment for a child?"

Safe, shit. The Order wasn't a safe place for a child, either, or for anyone really, but he and Lenalee had both made it out alright. His frustration ratcheted up a few levels.

"I'm sorry, can you clarify the question?" There was an edge to Steve's voice that said he understood perfectly.

There was a pause as Tyrell presumably weighed his words. Kanda smirked humorlessly at the ground. Tasha was probably giving him that _look_ \- the one where she wanted to strangle someone with her thighs but couldn't because of society.

"I know that you're superheroes," Tyrell said at last, careful and diplomatic. "And you are therefore better able to protect Allen than the average parent. However, you also attract threats of a much higher level, and we need to know that Allen will be safe."

Kanda clenched his jaw, the thought that _the beansprout can take care of his own damn self_ warring with _he's so fucking tiny._ It was not helping his mood.

Neither did the third of _what about me and Lavi?_

"This is Avengers Tower," Natasha said, a frosty note to her voice that normally stayed hidden. "We're well aware of the threat, and, you understand, do not enjoy being attacked in our sleep." Pause. "FRIDAY, if twenty HYDRA agents stormed the tower now, what obstacles would they need to face to reach Allen?"

"They would be noticed immediately," FRIDAY replied instantly, taking the question at face value. "I would alert the Avengers, who would move to place Allen, Lavi, and Yuu in one of the safe rooms-"

Disinterested, Yuu tuned FRIDAY out to simmer. No one had questioned Lavi staying with Tony. No one had even questioned Yuu staying with Bucky, and they were trying to arrest him! Who gave them the right to step in _here?_

The discussion went on for some time, but at last, Tyrell seemed satisfied.

"Thank you for humoring me, Steve, Natasha," he said politely. "I'll get out of your hair now, and I'll see you again in two weeks."

"Of course. We'll see you then," Steve replied, just as painfully polite, and a little strained, Kanda thought.

When Tyrell exited the room a few moments later, Yuu was waiting for him, placed deliberately between Tyrell and the elevator. His jaw was clenched, his face flushed with rage, and his fists shaking almost imperceptibly.

"You have to let Steve and Tasha keep him," he said, and he was trying to sound aggressive, remembering the power he'd once held to back him up, but there was too much fear in his voice, too much desperation.

Tyrell sighed. He looked tired and maybe a little worried, too, but Kanda didn't care. He was trying to take the beansprout away.

In all fairness, Tyrell never just brushed Yuu off - he always tried to address his concerns, instead, and placate him. But Yuu didn't want placations, he wanted a _promise,_ he needed to know that _this was going to be okay._

"I'm trying, Yuu," Tyrell said gently. "I promise, I just want what's best for Allen."

"Liar!"

The word burst out of Yuu's mouth without his permission, a searing glare twisting his face. Tyrell paused, looking concerned.

"If you wanted what was best for him _you'd let him stay!"_ Yuu's chest was heaving, tears springing into his eyes, but his glare never wavered. "You're just _mean!"_

"I know it may seem that way," Tyrell tried, still weirdly gentle, and Yuu hated it, hated it. "And it's obvious to _you_ that Steve and Natasha will make good parents, but I am a very slow man and I need to be very sure that this is the best place for Allen before I let it pass."

"It _is!"_ Kanda screamed, heart racing and face wet, taking a furious step toward Tyrell like he could strangle him into realizing this. "Sprout can't move again, he _can't!_ He has to stay, _he won't survive another bad family!"_

Tyrell's expression softened. "I know. I know you're worried. But Allen's stronger than he looks, Yuu. He'll be okay."

Kanda saw red.

Sure, it was _technically_ true, but Tyrell didn't know _shit_ about the beansprout, and Allen hadn't looked this bad since, since…

Yuu launched himself at Tyrell, who looked startled but not shocked.

"Shut up! Shut _up, shut up shut up,_ you don't know _anything!"_

Yuu was trying his best to hit any part of Tyrell he could, blinded by anger, but his best wasn't very good right now, and Tyrell was able to catch him and hold him still, with strength that seemed absurd and should've been nothing, _less_ than nothing, to Kanda's.

He thrashed in the larger man's grip, seething with fury. He heard Tyrell trying to get him to calm down, but Yuu wanted no part of it - he hated him, hated him, _hated how helpless he was!_

Yuu kept at it until more familiar hands lifted him from Tyrell's grasp, he was held against a chest, and Bucky's voice said sternly, "Yuu. Calm down."

Almost instantly, Yuu flopped in Bucky's grip. His face was still set in a weak scowl, but it was wet with tears, and he shuddered with suppressed, angry sobs.

Bucky sighed and nodded to someone Yuu couldn't see, and then started to move away while Steve escorted Tyrell the rest of the way to the elevator. Yuu clenched his fists in Bucky's leather jacket and refused to speak until they were in Bucky's room, and Bucky sat on the edge of the bed, radiating disapproval. Yuu's breath hitched again.

"Yuu, why were you trying to hit Tyrell?" Bucky asked, a hint of a frustrated growl in the back of his voice, but clearly trying for patient.

Yuu growled right back and pressed his forehead into Bucky's shoulder, wishing he were anywhere else, anywhere else at all.

"Yuu." Bucky sounded stern again, forcibly pushing Yuu back so he could look into his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Yuu made a frustrated, distressed sound from somewhere high in his chest and turned his head away stubbornly. Bucky's hands tightened to the point where it was slightly painful, and Yuu yelped before he could stop himself. In the next moment, Bucky withdrew his hands like he'd been burned.

It did the trick, though.

"I don't like him," Yuu mumbled petulantly, tears filling his eyes all over again even as he tried to stop them.

"I know you don't like him," Bucky returned, frowning down at him in concern. "Everyone knows you don't like him, but you've never tried to _hit_ him before."

Yuu tilted his head up to look at him, and he was trying to hold onto his anger, but it was giving way fast to dismay and worry and dreaded fucking _fear._ "He doesn't get it," Yuu said at last, struggling to make himself understood when he felt this scattered, this confused. "Beansprout can't get taken away again. It'd _kill_ him." He didn't know why he was so sure, but he was.

Bucky's face softened visibly. "You're scared," he informed Yuu, like he didn't already know.

Kanda gritted his teeth and hid his face again, shuddering. "I'm not _scared,"_ he muttered.

It was a lie, though.

* * *

 _"From a bin of bent, discarded horseshoes, a strange old man poked out a poker-long nose,"_ Vision read aloud. Then he paused and wondered aloud, "How long is a poker-long nose meant to be?"

Allen, sitting in his lap, shrugged. "Don' know," he admitted.

Vision looked down at Allen, frowning. "This is a very strange book," he told him seriously, and Allen giggled. Vision looked back down to it and continued, _"It was as bent as a horseshoe and red as rust. 'I'll do your spinning for you. At a price.'"_

Allen gasped dramatically, eyes widening, and Vision paused again to pat him on the head.

"I am certain that the girl is okay. The tale has some ways to go yet," Vision promised him, and then went on, _"'What can I give you, except my thanks?' gasped Polly. 'That necklace of yours would do.' And so the bargain was struck. Polly gave up her necklace, and the little man gave up his night, spinning the wheel till it whistled. Straws twined together, then fell from the spindle like golden wood shavings, curling and coiling on the dirty floor…"_ Vision trailed off again. "But straw cannot be turned into gold unless you completely alter the molecular structure. It is simply not possible, no matter how hard you spin the wheel."

Allen giggled at him. "Faiwy tail," he informed him, voice lilting with amusement. Vision sighed.

"I will take your word for it, little one." And he continued.

The questions did not stop through the entire tale, through the second night and the third, through the happy wedding or the terrible climax - when the little goblin asked Polly for her firstborn child.

Allen stared at Vision with wide eyes, hanging onto his every word, and Vision hid a smile as he read, _"What's my name? That's the game. Search about. Find it out. If you can, keep your wee man. If you can't, then you shan't. Three times I'll come, then playing's done: I keep your son!"_

"Oh, no!" Allen gasped, and though Vision didn't know it, it was almost as much a struggle for him to hide his amusement as it was for Vision to hide his.

"Oh, no," Vision agreed solemnly. _"Turning a single cartwheel, he disappeared-"_

And the charade continued, both parties enjoying the story as much as the other and trying not to laugh. Allen settled against Vision's chest while the android read patiently, interested in the strangeness of the fairy tale.

_"Move every stone, drain every bog, ask all the cats and every dog; dig up the sea with a single oar: you won't find what you're looking for! Search the night with candle shine: soon your baby will be mine. Guess again and lose the game, for Rumpelstiltskin is my name!"_

Allen hated to admit it, but Vision was usually much more fun to listen to than Steve or Natasha. Steve did better voices, though, and Natasha told him other stories afterward. So it evened out, really.

...And it was nice. No one had read to him since Mana. And even Mana hardly ever had.

 _"Purple smoke filled the air-"_ Vision frowned. "Why is the smoke purple? I can think of very few things which can cause purple smoke."

Allen shrugged. "Magi'?"

"Perhaps," Vision said ruefully. _"Purple smoke filled the air, and when it cleared, there was no trace of the spinner but for that gaping hole and a scream of rage echoing through the palace: 'RUMPELSTILTSKIN!'"_

Vision twisted his voice into a facsimile of anger for the last word, and Allen laughed as Vision closed the book, smiling at Allen with a satisfied air about him.

"Fairy tales are very interesting," Vision mused to Allen, not making any move to stand yet. "However, they make no sense."

Allen giggled and nodded in agreement.

"Is that okay?" Allen nodded again. "Oh." Vision mused. "It is less acceptable in books meant for adults. Why is this?"

Allen shrugged. "'Dults think too mu'h," he offered to Vision, who nodded decisively.

"Ah. I see. I was constantly questioning the tale, so I enjoyed it less. Thank you, Allen, that makes sense." He tried to shift Allen off his lap. He succeeded, but Allen was clinging to his arm. "Ah." He stood up anyway. Allen continued to hang determinedly off his arm, and Vision stared down at him in mild bemusement. "Allen, why are you holding onto my arm? It is dangerous. You could fall."

"Fun," Allen told him, not bothering to hide his smile this time, which only widened as Vision continued to show no signs of disapproval, only confusion. Besides, it wasn't _that_ far to fall, as long as Vision didn't fly.

Vision processed the answer and smiled down at Allen fondly, shaking his head. "It is dangerous," he repeated, more amused than concerned.

"Having some trouble there, spot-bot?"

Both Vision and Allen looked up to see Tony striding into the room with an amused smirk on his face, and Allen yelped in surprise, nearly losing his grip before Vision caught him. By his left arm.

Allen blinked up at him, eyes wide, and Vision blinked down at him, confused, until Tony interposed himself between them and claimed Allen by lifting him up into a more socially acceptable hold.

"This is how you hold a baby," Tony explained to Vision.

"I know," Vision mumbled, crossing his arms and ducking his head, shamefaced. Allen huffed.

"No' baby," he mumbled into Tony's shoulder, and Tony laughed and patted his back.

"I know, tiny man, I know." He looked at Vision. "Mind if I steal him away? I was actually hoping to talk to him."

Vision shrugged and nodded. "Of course, if he wishes to go."

Allen hummed an affirmation, and Tony grinned, waved at Vision, and turned to take Allen away. He didn't speak until they were alone in the hall, heading for the communal playroom.

"Four months, huh?" Tony mused to Allen, who hummed again. "Have you gotten used to it yet?"

Allen shook his head, and Tony softened slightly.

"That's okay, beansprout. You will."

"No' beanspwout," Allen mumbled in protest, and then turned his head to look at him better. "To'y, do I weally act li' a baby?"

Tony winced; Allen looked genuinely worried by that, and Tony wasn't sure he had a good answer to give. After a moment of careful consideration, he said, "Sometimes you do. But it's obvious that you're not, if you know what to look for."

"Oh," Allen said softly, deflating slightly. Tony cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Anyway, I thought you'd like to know that you really are done with all of your doctor stuff now. They didn't find anything, obviously."

Allen cheered up slightly at that. "'Kay."

Tony chuckled. "And the legal stuff, that's almost done too. Congratulations, kid, you're about three steps from being Allen Rogers-Romanoff."

Allen brightened visibly. "Yay!"

Tony grinned, pleased with his success. "I finished the analysis on your arm, by the way. It broke my machinery." Allen looked worried. "Nothing I can't replace! Just, if it weren't so obvious that your body had adapted, I'd probably be worried."

Allen shrugged. "I knew. No'ing to wowwy 'bou'."

"Right," Tony agreed easily. "Now, about that stuffed dog I saw you eying up-"


	26. Childhood Memories

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!"

Melinda kept her eyes closed. Little fingers tugged at her nightshirt impatiently.

 _"Mommy!_ Up!"

The corner of Melinda's mouth twitched slightly. Above her, Lenalee huffed.

"Mommy! I know you 'wake! Up!"

Finally deciding she'd teased her daughter enough for the morning, Melinda cracked her eyes open and smirked at Lenalee.

"Well, aren't you excited this morning?" Lenalee pouted at her and then dropped her weight onto her chest, satisfied that she was properly awake now. "Oof!"

"Daisy home t'day," Lenalee informed her, eyes bright.

"I remember," Melinda chuckled, slowly levering herself up. Lenalee yelped as she was dislodged and fell sideways onto the bed. "We have a meeting at ten, but I'm sure she'll play with you beforehand if we get there early." A glance at the clock told Melinda it was currently eight o'clock. Lenalee's eyes lit up.

"Let's go, let's go!" Lenalee urged, pulling at her again. "Go, go!"

Melinda laughed again, swinging her legs off the bed. "Alright, Lenalee. Go get some clothes while I dress."

Lenalee nodded quickly and scrambled off while Melinda stretched.

By the time Melinda was dressed, Lenalee was back, hopping impatiently from foot to foot, her chosen clothes (a long-sleeve grass green shirt and a pair of overalls) plopped on the bed.

Melinda took her time, smiling to herself as Lenalee grew increasingly more impatient. When she was done, she stood in place, hand lifted to her mouth in mock thought. "Hm… Now, what needs to be done now?"

"Mom- _my!"_ Lenalee complained.

Melinda chuckled and finally gave in and went to help Lenalee dress, swift and efficient. When the little girl's shoes were finally on, she was out the door in a heartbeat, and Melinda strolled casually after. (She wasn't worried about losing Lenalee. All she had to do was follow the trail of stumbling agents.)

She caught up to Lenalee soon enough and scooped her up, making her protest.

"Breakfast first, Lenalee," she reprimanded lightly, watching as Lenalee frowned up at her, rapidly getting over her displacement. "We'll be in there for a few hours."

"'Kay," Lenalee mumbled, settling against Melinda's hip.

In the kitchen area designated for Coulson's team (the senior agents, technically speaking) they found Hunter groggily sipping at a cup of coffee, staring off into space with the clear air of a man who'd much rather be asleep.

"Morning, Agent May, demon child," he mumbled when he saw them, halfheartedly raising a hand in greeting.

"Mornin', Huntew!" Lenalee returned cheerfully.

"Agent Hunter," Melinda tacked on, nodding at him and hiding a smirk at his disheveled state.

"No," Hunter groaned, dropping his head to the table dramatically. "No cheer. Too _early."_

Lenalee giggled.

"Don't worry, we're just picking some breakfast up and then we're off to find Daisy," Melinda assured him, crossing to the cupboard and opening it.

"She's in the meeting room," Hunter mumbled, not lifting his head. "I saw her earlier. Coulson wanted to talk to her."

Melinda paused to study him. "That was unexpectedly helpful of you, Hunter. Thank you."

"I am a gracious man, May. I'm glad you realize this now." He pointed to the door. "Please leave."

Melinda smirked and picked up a banana for herself and a box of graham crackers for Lenalee, and then she left, heading toward the meeting room and leaving Hunter to his morning misery.

She gave one to Lenalee as she walked through the hallway, and Lenalee took it and munched it obediently.

"It looks like we might have to wait a while once we get there," Melinda told her, and Lenalee nodded in agreement.

"Can wai'," Lenalee assured her.

"That's not what you were saying fifteen minutes ago," Melinda pointed out, and Lenalee gave her a cheeky smile.

As it turned out, by the time they arrived, Coulson was just finishing up with whatever it was he'd wanted to speak with Daisy about. Lenalee waved at Daisy, and Daisy smiled at her and waved back, returned Melinda's nod, and then looked back at Coulson.

"Well done on getting to the Inhumans before HYDRA could, and thank you for the update," Coulson told her, and Daisy shrugged, looking a little embarrassed.

"No problem," she muttered with a shrug. "Just wish we could manage it more often. I don't know it you've noticed, Coulson, but we're kind of losing."

Melinda coughed, and Lenalee rolled her eyes, knowing it was for her benefit.

Like she wasn't used to fighting a losing war.

But it got Daisy to stop, and Coulson finally looked over and smiled briefly in greeting.

"Agent May. You're here early," he commented, and Melinda raised an unimpressed eyebrow. Coulson coughed. "Is Lenalee going to be joining us today?"

Melinda nodded, and then, to Daisy, added, "She's been missing you."

Daisy smiled slightly. "I've missed her, too," she chuckled, and looked at Lenalee. "Have you been looking after May for me, little bug?"

Lenalee smiled and nodded. "Course!" And then, hopefully, "Pway?"

Daisy glanced at Coulson. "We have some time, right?"

Looking amused, Coulson nodded. "We've got two hours 'til the meeting is supposed to start, so probably an hour and a half before people start arriving."

"Yay!" Lenalee squirmed to get down, and Melinda placed her on the ground and went to talk to Coulson (and eat her banana) while Lenalee scurried over to Daisy, beaming.

Daisy sat down in front of her while Lenalee went to hang off Daisy's arm. The Inhuman grinned down at her, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Hey, Lenalee, do you remember that trick I was working on?"

Lenalee tilted her head, brown eyes turning curious. "Mm-hm?"

"I think I finally got it down."

Lenalee's eyes lit up, and she let go of Daisy's arm almost instantly, stepping back to wave her arms and hop up and down. "Twy, twy!"

Daisy chuckled, and a moment later, Lenalee gasped as strong, but gentle vibrations lifted her into the air. Melinda looked up sharply and Daisy gave her a firm nod, her smile staying steady.

"Don't worry, May, I've been practicing a lot," Daisy reassured her. "Lenalee won't fall."

"Won' fall!" Lenalee agreed, pinwheeling her arms to stay upright on the strange suspension, looking not concerned at all, which didn't reassure Melinda in the least.

Still, Melinda gave Daisy a reluctant nod, which made the younger woman's eyes brighten slightly, and returned her attention to Coulson, though some of it remained on the two girls playing to the side.

"Go' weally good," Lenalee admired, smiling down at Daisy and slowing her flailing as she got her balance.

Daisy returned it easily. "I like to think so," she admitted, gaze falling to the ground for a moment before it flicked back up and she refocused. Her hands, palm-up maintaining the field, never wavered. "Lincoln's helping me again - he has a lot of ideas - but he doesn't seem so set on relearning his own powers."

Lenalee's smile softened slightly, and she cast Daisy a reassuring look. "He be 'kay," she promised, in one of those unnerving moments when she looked many times older than her biological age. "'S hawd, bu'..." She waved her arm, a gesture this time instead of an attempt to steady herself. "He no' bad. His powew no' bad. He'w wemembew."

Daisy let herself look startled for the briefest of moments, and then she smiled, much more honest this time. "I hope so," she said at last, an ironic twist to her lips. "We'll just have to work on him, right, little bug?"

Lenalee nodded firmly, and then raised her arms. "Up!" she insisted, and Daisy laughed and raised her a little higher off the ground.

This game lasted over half an hour, until Daisy was too tired to keep it steady, at which point Lenalee hopped off without being asked. Another hour was spent doing everything from tossing an apple back and forth to crawling around under the table, valiantly ignored by Coulson and Melinda.

When Rosalind came in twenty minutes before the meeting was due to start, Lenalee was filling Daisy in on what she'd missed.

"Huntew too' Bobbi ou'," Lenalee was telling Daisy, who looked interested and concerned in equal measure. "Dey came ba' weal angwy and wewen' talkin', bu' I tink dey'll twy 'gain 'cause dey wewe talkin' th' nex' day."

"Probably," Daisy agreed, smiling slightly at the thought of Hunter and Bobbi's rather tumultuous relationship. "I'm sure those two'll get it together eventually."

Lenalee giggled but shrugged carelessly, and Rosalind sat down with an exasperated sigh.

"This sort of thing never happened at the ATCU," she informed Coulson demurely, and Coulson quirked his eyebrows in amusement.

"Really? Must've been boring."

Rosalind considered him for a moment, and then gave in and smiled. "Yes, perhaps a little."

The next ten minutes were spent waiting on the last participant, a woman Lenalee had never met, but who was apparently a liaison between SHIELD and Stark Industries, Maria Hill.

The first Lenalee had heard of Maria Hill was when Coulson came to her with his 'serious' face, and made the first actual request of her that she could think of: to allow him to tell Maria of her origins.

She hadn't yet heard the reason why he wanted her to know, but she knew that they'd been working together for a long time - since long before the old SHIELD broke apart. And it was nice of him to ask, but she knew it was just a formality. After all, as far as he was concerned, she was still just a two-year-old.

Going along with it, she'd given him permission, but she wasn't so sure of Maria herself. Lenalee hoped Coulson didn't want to tell anyone else, because Lenalee didn't want to talk about it. If it weren't for her memories of her friends, she'd have liked nothing more than to forget it all happened.

Finally, ten minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin, the woman arrived, looking every inch the prepared agent and taking everything in in a moment. Her eyes lingered on Lenalee for a moment before Lenalee's eyes flashed in challenge and she looked away again without comment.

"I see I'm the last one here," she observed. Coulson shrugged, a faint smile playing about his lips.

"Not much competition there. Most of us live here."

"I don't," Rosalind muttered. "Everyone else was already here when I arrived."

"Lenalee wanted to see Daisy before we started," Melinda explained; she hadn't taken her eyes off Maria since she entered. "Lenalee, come here, please."

Lenalee, seated on Daisy's lap, twisted to give Melinda a curious look, studied her expression for a moment, and then slipped off to scurry over to her mother and pull herself up there instead. Melinda's arm settled around her and Lenalee squirmed until she was satisfied with her placement, allowing Melinda to continue speaking.

"Now, I understand there's been some movement from HYDRA recently." Lenalee reached for the graham crackers and Melinda gave her one without even looking down. "Care to elaborate?"

The last was directed at Rosalind, who, after liberating the ATCU from HYDRA's influence, had taken it upon herself to lead the movement against them. Rosalind, in return, gave her a curt nod, accepting the prompt for what it was.

"HYDRA's efforts have been focused on extracting any known and unknown metahumans from ordinary society," she explained, producing a folder from nowhere, which she passed to Coulson. Coulson took a few things out and passed the rest to Melinda, who leafed through it, making no attempt to stop Lenalee from peering at them curiously.

"I'm pretty sure that's a security breach," Maria observed, but made no move to put a stop to it.

Rosalind continued on as if she hadn't heard the comment, though Coulson knew she privately agreed. "The attack on the Avengers' former base some months ago was only a part of that, and the signs seem to suggest that it was more of a test run than any actual attempt." She nodded at the papers in Coulson's hand. "We haven't managed to track them to where they're taking the metahumans, but we have an estimate as to how many they've taken and some ideas as to where they're getting their information."

Coulson nodded, flipping briefly through the files he'd taken. "Thank you, Rosalind. Any sign of Ward?" Melinda's eyes flashed with poorly hidden murderous rage, and Daisy winced. Lenalee cast her eyes to the ground.

Rosalind shook her head. "He's been keeping his head down." She glanced pointedly at Melinda, who didn't back down. "He knows that you've got a few agents with very… _strong_ feelings about him."

Coulson nodded amiably. "That's true. Do they seem to have any leads on the weapon they've been tracking?"

"None that my agents have been able to identify," Rosalind frowned. "They seem to believe the Winter Soldier will have kept it with him, but there's no guarantee it's true."

"But they'll most likely mount another attack on the Avengers because of it," Coulson concluded, with a nod to Maria, who inclined her head in acknowledgement. "Anything else?"

"Yes, actually." Rosalind raised an eyebrow at Melinda, who considered her for a moment before nodding in acknowledgement and passing the folder back to Coulson, who seamlessly traded it for the documents he'd been looking over. Daisy hid a smile badly, earning herself a mock glare from Melinda. "First, they seem to have at least one more of the weapon they're tracking, and they haven't lost that. We'll have to keep an eye out for it." Coulson nodded. "Also, Gideon Malick was found dead. It seems probable that Ward killed him to solidify his position."

"That is the sort of thing he does," Coulson agreed dryly. "Thank you for the report. Agent Hill?"

Maria smirked humorlessly. "I don't have any documents for you myself, but I've been keeping track of movements in the government, like you asked." Coulson cocked his eyebrows expectantly. "The SHRA has been moving along; Stark's been trying to slow it down the best he can, but he's got a lot on his plate at the moment. The government certainly isn't making things easy for him."

"He can take it," Coulson said, half humorous and half truthful. Maria shrugged and nodded.

"Of course he can, but the results may not be as effective as if he could throw _all_ his weight behind it. Discussion isn't all that emotional at the moment, not like it could be, but it doesn't look promising. Current highlights include a proposal for a public registry and official 'non-powered' zones, where metahumans wouldn't be allowed access; they seemed very concerned about hospitals, schools, and the like. There's also some talk about a public identifier of some sort, a badge or a tag."

"Charming," Coulson muttered, and a visible wince crossed Daisy's face.

"That's the worst of it, right?" she asked gingerly, and Maria gave her a brief, unreadable look before nodding.

"So far," Maria confirmed. "But if something tips public opinion, well, metahumans could be in trouble."

Lenalee tugged at Melinda's jacket, and Melinda, who had been focusing all of her considerable attention on Maria's words, looked down. Lenalee's brown eyes were shining with worry.

"How cwose?" she asked nervously, and Melinda almost bit her lip in mirrored anxiety but stopped herself at the last moment. Instead, she looked at Maria, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

Maria thought for a moment before answering. "Perhaps five, ten years, at the rate they're going. If something happens, well, I really couldn't say."

Melinda nodded in acceptance, and Daisy sighed, head dipping down briefly as if exhausted before it popped back up and she gave Maria an ironic smile, that was maybe a little bitter as well.

"Great. Just enough time for people to get used to the idea, right?"

A small, matching not-smile flashed across Lenalee's face - just enough time for her to grow up, too - and she pushed the rest of the graham crackers away and shifted again, focusing a little more on the meeting. (Privately, she wondered if they realized how much of this she really would remember later.)

Maria's expression softened slightly with unexpected sympathy. "You're not the only one worrying about this, Agent Johnson. But remember, we _are_ all doing our best to keep it back."

Daisy nodded, and Coulson finally turned to her. "Alright, what on your front, Skye?"

"Daisy," Daisy reminded him, but her eyes were warm and amused again.

"Damn," Coulson muttered.

"Well, no word on Bruce Banner," Daisy started, as if the exchange hadn't happened, though her mood looked a little lighter. "That guy's real good at covering his tracks. The agent we put on Clint Barton didn't last a day before he was spotted, so it was a good call to send someone he knew." She nodded at Coulson, who smiled faintly.

"No one knows Barton better than I do except his wife and Romanov."

"That's a little disturbing," Daisy remarked, and then continued on before he could respond. "No Asgardians - not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Mike Peterson's been by, so he knows what's up, and the Inhumans we've managed to find are mostly settling in alright. There's one or two that almost destroyed the facility, but we've added a few things that should stop that from happening again."

Coulson waved the report away as if people who could destroy whole buildings by accident were perfectly normal, which was swiftly becoming the case. "Any recruitment issues?"

"Most of them aren't taking well to being told they'll have to resettle," Daisy admitted. "But quite a few of them seem more than up for joining SHIELD, if mostly for the sake of helping others like them." A moment of hesitation, and then she tacked on, without waiting for invitation, "I can't really blame them; they used to be ordinary people."

She made brief, very brief, eye contact with Rosalind, who had the decency to nod back and look away. Melinda nodded thoughtfully, shifting Lenalee on her lap as her leg grew numb.

"Mos' wewe," Lenalee agreed softly.

Daisy smiled at her, but it fell away swiftly. "We started to look for your people, Lenalee, but we figured out pretty quick that we don't have a lot to go on. But you and Link both kept your first names, right?" Lenalee nodded. "And you're pretty sure that all the people that will have reincarnated have... Innocence?"

Daisy's tongue tripped slightly over the word. Lenalee ignored that and nodded. "Don' know fo suwe," she tacked on. "Bu' I tink so. In-no-cence does weiwd stuff, see?"

Daisy shrugged. "I'll take your word for it. Anyway, I thought that, if you gave me a list of names and ages to work with, that would be a good place to start."

Lenalee thought about it. "I can do tha'. But no' all of us died a' th' same ti'."

Daisy nodded slowly, turning that over. "I guess not, huh? But you and Link are the same number of years apart as you were before, right?"

Lenalee nodded in confirmation. "He wa' twee yeaws oldew den too."

Daisy smiled. "Then if you can remember the age difference, I can work with that. Were they all older than you, or will we be waiting on some of them to be born?" There was a hint of humor in her voice, which was probably only increased by the fact that it was a genuine question.

Lenalee shrugged, smiling a little. "Mos'ly. Awen wa' a yeaw youn'er, and Tim'thy wa' weally li'l. Ten, I tink." There was a sudden silence over the room, and Lenalee's attention drifted, her small smile falling in favor of a frown. "Wondew if he got t'visit th' Inspectow 'gain."

The silence persisted for a few moments, and then Daisy coughed. Rosalind looked a little startled, but came back to herself well enough, and there was a distinct shine of pity in Maria's eyes. Lenalee ignored all of them, and also the way Melinda's arm tightened over her protectively, and looked at Daisy expectantly.

"If we can go over that within the next couple days," Daisy said with finality, "that'd be great. You want to find your friends as soon as possible, right?"

"Wight!" Lenalee agreed, effectively distracted. Rosalind frowned, mind drawn to this issue.

"Not to be the insensitive one, but is this really a priority?" Rosalind asked doubtfully. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we have quite a lot to worry about as it is."

Melinda opened her mouth to say something scathing, but Coulson jumped in to defuse the situation before it could really go up.

"That's not a bad point, but what do you think would happen if HYDRA learned about Lenalee's people?" A slight grimace crossed Rosalind's face, and Coulson nodded. "It's as important to find them as it is to track the Inhumans."

"The Inhumans are unquestionably of use to HYDRA," Rosalind pointed out. "Their power is incredible. We don't know that these… exorcists, are on the same scale." This problem she didn't wait for the others to address, looking directly at Lenalee. "Lenalee, how powerful would you have said you were?"

Lenalee's uneasy expression melted into thoughtfulness. "Um… Well, powew in exowcists was measuwed in synchwo. An exowcist wi' thiwty pewcen' synchwo woul' be 'bout li' Uncle Phil, wi' his hand." A briefly startled look crossed Coulson's face; he hadn't even considered himself as being anywhere on the metahuman scale, but Lenalee had a good point. Rosalind gave Coulson a pointed look, but Lenalee wasn't done. "An exowcist wi' ovew a hundwed pewcent, one of th' genewals, tha' 'wound 'vengew level. I tink some coulda taken on th' Hulk." Kanda, for instance.

Lost in thought, it was a brief moment before Lenalee noticed the sudden hush, which was the same moment she realized that she had had the room's undivided attention. She ducked her head uncomfortably.

"And you, Lenalee?" Melinda asked at last, once she'd recovered enough.

"Eh?" Lenalee tilted her head and considered for a moment. "I was li'l strwonger'n Daisy, I guess. Ninety-se'en synchwo." She shrugged. "No' li' Genewal Cwoss or Genewal Nyne."

"Daisy can cause landslides," Coulson pointed out mildly - not necessarily as contradiction, but as a means of finding out _exactly_ what had put Lenalee so high.

Lenalee smiled proudly at Daisy. "I know!" Her smile turned slightly devious, one hand drifting to her ankles. "When I was stwong, I coul' pu' a hole in six-in' steel. Or bweak the soun' bawwiew." Her smile turned slightly pained. "I was a goo' exowcist, an' you can' be a goo' exowcist if you awen' stwong."

"I think that clears that up," Maria said, because no one else seemed especially inclined to speak. "It would be best for _all_ of us to find these people."

Melinda, though, was still studying her daughter. "Why did you need to be strong?" she asked.

Lenalee looked up at her, looking guilty and squirming a little, though she never even considered breaking her gaze. "Well," she mumbled uncomfortably. Melinda's eyes bored into hers, mouth an unforgiving line. "Exowcists wewe…" _Weapons._ "Figh'ews. We fough'." Her fists tightened in her lap, tucked against her stomach. "If you ha' an In-no-cence, dat was youw job." Her breath hitched. She didn't want to think about this. "Dere was one guy…" Leverrier's face flashed through her mind's eye, and she shivered. "An' he said… Th' Black Owdew doesn' exist t'coddle exowcists. It exists t'win th' waw."

Melinda stilled again, but Lenalee, distracted and biting her lip against her tears, didn't notice. It wasn't until Daisy spoke, soft and wary, that she realized what she'd said.

"War?"

Lenalee's head popped up, eyes wide like a deer in the headlights. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Every alarm bell Melinda possessed was going off. She looked directly at Coulson, who picked up on this, and Coulson said,

"I think that's all we needed to cover, isn't it?"

Rosalind looked up sharply, disapproval entering her eyes, but Melinda was already nodding.

"Yes, that's all," she said in a clipped tone. "It's past Lenalee's naptime, in any case, so I'd best be going. Agent Johnson, we'll get back to you by Thursday."

Daisy nodded, face lined with concern, and Melinda, without further delay, stood up, Lenalee propped on her hip, and strode from the room in deadly, purposeful strides while she bit back her own tide of questions.

This was so much worse than she'd thought it was.

Lenalee's fingers were clinging to her shirt, and tears springing to her eyes even as she peeked up at Melinda, clear worry in her eyes, and a flood of bad memories barely suppressed. "Mommy?"

"In a minute, baby girl," Melinda said, letting no emotion creep into her voice. "We'll talk when we get to our room."

She felt Lenalee bury her face in her side, grip tightening to the point that it had to hurt, and she took a deep breath.

_I can do this. I can do this for as long as Lenalee needs me to._

God, this was harder than she'd thought it would be. (War? What war? Lenalee had never- but Lenalee hated to talk about it- she and Link were clearly familiar with fighting- she'd been _nineteen-)_

 _Child soldier,_ her mind whispered, and she told it firmly to shut up. She'd had no real indication of such. Not yet.

("It's not as scary to think about it anymore," Link had told Lenalee.)

(How long was Lenalee there?)

(How many people had she watched die?)

(How many had she been _forced to kill_ to _survive?)_

They arrived at their room in record time, but Lenalee clearly wasn't willing to sleep, or even to let go of Melinda. When Melinda sat on the bed, she loosened just enough to peek up at her apprehensively again, and Melinda stared back down at her.

Melinda was a very to-the-point sort of woman, and she didn't like skirting around topics. She'd prefer to get through with it and have it out of the way and done with as soon as possible.

"My father used to dance with me, when I was feeling down," she said abruptly. It almost hurt to say, but Lenalee relaxed almost instantly, falling boneless against her side with a soft, admittedly nervous giggle.

"How?" she whispered. Her voice croaked.

"I'd stand on his feet," Melinda told her, struggling to silence the questions flooding her mind, "and he'd hold onto my hands, and I'd try not to fall off."

Lenalee giggled again, a little more honest, and let go, pushing herself back. "Can we twy?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course," Melinda replied, and turned the radio on.

_(Is this why Lenalee is so scared?)_

* * *

Mack's entry into Coulson's office wasn't as abrupt as, say, Lenalee's or Melinda's tended to be; he hadn't gained that influence or skill yet. So Coulson wasn't entirely surprised when Mack stormed, clearly agitated and just as clearly trying to hide it, in.

"Lenalee gave Daisy the list of names," Mack said, by way of explanation.

"That's good," Coulson said cautiously, placing his pen down and searching Mack's expression for any hint of why this merited agitation. His face was strained, but Coulson couldn't get anything out of it.

"One of the names was Noise," Mack expanded, fists clenched.

"Ah," Coulson replied intelligently, and internally thanked God that the Lenalee-related revelations of the meeting hadn't been disseminated yet.

"The age is right," Mack continued, voice lacking the masterful control Melinda possessed but taking a pretty good stab at it anyway. "And he has the same markings on his wrists that Lenalee and Link do."

"Well," Coulson decided at last, leaning forward slightly, fingers interlacing. "Does that mean we're going to be seeing your little brother around here soon?"

"You bet your ass it does," Mack said, through gritted teeth. "And he has a lot to answer for." 

Then, "Fuck." He made as if to turn away, but stopped, looking at Coulson seriously. "Klaud was another." Coulson inhaled sharply, slightly startled. Mack nodded. "Once she got over her shock, Simmons promised to try and get her to come, too."

"That's good," Coulson replied faintly, and Mack nodded, turned, and left, clenching and unclenching his fists, leaving Coulson to ponder.

Why were all these people popping up _now?_ And why were they all _so close to SHIELD?_


	27. Types of Conflict

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reread chapter 26 before you read this; on the last round of edits, I combined chapter 25 and the former chapter 26, and there is now a new chapter 26.

Five months after Allen arrived at the tower, Steve, Natasha, and Tyrell wrapped up their last meeting, and Tyrell leaned back and closed the folder with a snap.

"I think that's everything," he said with a small smile. "Thank you for your patience."

"'Kay?" Allen asked tentatively, seated on Steve's lap.

"Okay," Tyrell confirmed.

Steve grinned brightly and looked at Natasha, who smiled back, eyes gleaming, and Allen clapped his hands, squealing.

"Done? Already? Great!" All of them jumped as Tony's voice suddenly blared from the ceiling, and Steve sighed and slapped a hand over his face. Natasha sighed, Tyrell jumped, and Allen just tilted his head curiously, tipping his head back to look at the ceiling. "I think this calls for a celebration, don't you? Probably a big party, lots of pretty lights-"

"Stark," Steve muttered, unable to keep a rueful smile down, and Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Stark," she agreed resignedly.

Allen giggled.

* * *

"Move over!"

"You move over, stupid rabbit!"

"See!" Allen protested, squeezing between the two arguing four-year-olds and huffing, cheeks puffing out petulantly. Yuu reeled back like he'd been hit and then scowled at Allen, who scowled right back. Lavi laughed and both of them and finally scooted over, making room.

"Why did I agree to this again?" Maria asked Pepper long-sufferingly.

"Because they're easier to deal with than the Avengers," Pepper said solemnly, hiding a smile, "and they would have been _unbearable_ if they were too busy worrying about the kids to manage the press properly."

Maria grimaced. Most of the Avengers were bad at dealing with the media as it was, but when they were _distracted,_ it was almost disastrous.

Today, six months after Allen's arrival, the Avengers were meeting for their first press conference in quite some time - the first, in fact, in over a year. Maria was a little wary of how the new Avengers would handle it - Wanda, Vision, Scott, Sam, and Bucky had never been subject to this before, while Steve and Natasha hated it with equal (and admirable) fervor, leaving Tony and Rhodey to, most likely, take the lead.

The kids, to no one's surprise, had insisted on watching, though Maria had her doubts about how long the interview would hold their attention. (Then again, Lavi had a downright surprising attention span, while Yuu and Allen could stay by their respective parents for hours at a time.)

Pepper was staying behind, and had recruited Maria to help her watch the three children, who were currently crowding in front of the television while the news station geared up for the interview. The two women were on the couch behind them, and Pepper had a StarkPad in her lap, catching up on the paperwork that was always snapping at her professional high heels nowadays.

"And now, we introduce the controversial superhero team, the Avengers," the newscaster said at last, cutting to the Avengers, who were each standing at podiums lined up across the floor, raised above the area where a sea of reporters sat and waited.

Tony took the lead, as expected, and flashed the crowd a broad press-grin. "Controversial, huh? Not sure how much I like that, probably my fault, right?" He didn't wait for an answer, though a few people laughed. "Right, that's what I thought. Anyway-" He waved his hand. "We've got a few things to cover, we've been off the air for a while, but first things first, we've got some introductions to handle.

"I'm sure you all remember Captain America and the Black Widow, right?" Allen beamed at the screen as the camera switch to Steve and then to Natasha, both of them nodding in greeting. "Then there's War Machine, and if you haven't been living under a rock, you'll recognize him too."

"Hey," Rhodey greeted as the camera switched to him, offering a sardonic grin. "Glad to be here on my own behalf instead of covering for Tony for once, _Tony."_

Tony blew Rhodey a kiss. "Thanks for that, platypus, and I'll remember your loving words next time we have to choose someone to watch Lavi." Rhodey winced theatrically, and the crowd laughed.

Yuu cuffed Lavi over the head. "Don't you dare," he snapped at the boy, who pouted.

"Why _not?"_

"'Cause you can't ever annoy just one person, stupid rabbit, and I'll stab you."

"So mean," Lavi muttered.

"The red guy's Vision, android, you've seen him around too - don't mind him if he's weird, he thinks you're cute."

Vision sent Tony a reproachful look and Pepper rolled her eyes.

"I would rather you not say such things," he told the man, a little stiffer than was normal for the android; he was clearly uncomfortable in this situation.

"Right," Tony agreed easily. He pointed. "That's Falcon, don't mind him if he won't say his real name. He's a meanie, don't listen to him."

"Being one of the few people willing and able to bodily force you to take care of yourself does not make him a meanie, Stark," Steve sighed, but there was a faint, if tense, smile on his lips now.

"God knows you won't do it yourself," Sam put in, rolling his eyes as he leaned casually against his podium.

"Mean," Tony insisted, in an eerie echo of Lavi that made the redheaded boy grin cheekily at his mother, who groaned playfully. "That's Ant-Man there, he and Sam like to tag-team everyone else and it's _ridiculous,_ and sometimes Rhodey joins in and it's just unfair, is what it is."

Scott smiled faintly. "You're welcome."

"The Scarlet Witch is our new very pretty, very _scary_ lady," Tony continued, turning his nose up at Scott's response. Lavi giggled and Yuu rolled his eyes, and Allen watched the screen intently. "She'd prefer not to be asked any personal questions. In fact, if anyone asks her personal questions, they'll get thrown out on their neatly suited asses, 'kay?" He paused, and then wrinkled his nose. "Did I just say _'kay?_ Lavi's rubbing off on me."

Lavi grinned again.

Laughter covered up the apprehension from his previous announcement, and Wanda relaxed slightly, though that wasn't saying much - Allen tilted his head in concern, studying her until the camera switched away again.

"And last but definitely not least, at least not if you value your health…" Tony gestured grandly to Bucky, who was squeezing the edges of the podium so hard it threatened to crack under his fingers. "The Winter Soldier, our third assassin extraordinaire to date and our second currently present. And probably not the scarier of the two."

Natasha gave him a light smile with cold eyes not meant for him.

Bucky cleared his throat, eyes fixed in a glare on nothing in particular. Several reporters in that general direction started to shift uncomfortably. "I don't think you're helping yourself there, Stark."

"Stupid bear, you can't make jokes with that face," Yuu informed the screen tartly.

Uneasy laughter rippled through the crowd, but Tony waved it off easily enough. "Now, in theory this meeting is about our extended absence, but I'm a pretty generous guy, so I'm gonna open it up to pretty much any question you can think of, personal questions barred, thank you very much."

There was a brief moment of silence, and then a clamor. Tony waited patiently for them to quiet down, and then pointed. "You in the leather jacket, I like it. You in the pink hat, go."

The man in the leather jacket looked affronted, but the one in the pink hat took it up with admirable goodwill… until he asked his question.

"The Avengers have, since their formation, caused billions of American dollars in property damage all over the world. In the past, SHIELD has allowed you to evade responsibility for this. Now that they've been proven a terrorist organization, what do you have to say about it?"

Steve cleared his throat, and Tony made a grand gesture in his direction, ceding the floor to him.

"The Avengers have done their best to keep property damage and civilian casualties to the absolute minimum possible. It's unfortunate and a burden on all of us that we cannot prevent it from happening altogether, but when you're fighting enemies of sometimes incalculable strength, things break." Steve shrugged. "I figure it's better than letting them run rampant."

Allen nodded solemnly. "Bweak."

"But is that your call to make?" the pink-hat-wearing man pushed.

"If not ours, then whose?" Steve countered. "Maybe we're stepping out of bounds. Maybe someone else is qualified to handle things better. But until someone _does_ step up to the plate and _make_ those better calls, _I_ won't stand by and let people die."

Allen smiled. "Cap," he cheered softly, and Yuu cuffed him over the head.

"Shut up," he muttered, too quietly for the two adults behind them to hear. "Making things worse."

Allen's face fell and he let his head drop a little, nodding with his shoulders suddenly hunched. Lavi patted him on the back.

"'S okay, Allen. They good at this."

"Alright, you, in the blue shirt. No, the one without the collar - yes, you. Ask your question." Tony pushed them out of the awkward silence, waving his hands impatiently.

"Are you planning to take responsibility for the damages incurred?" the man called out.

"What is this, pick on Avengers day?" Lavi muttered.

Tony took this one again; most of the Avengers were reluctant to speak, which worked out nicely for Tony, who liked to talk, but not Steve, who was obliged to as the de facto leader but hated it.

"Stark Industries bears the brunt of the financial damages, and if you'll recall, I've set up a foundation specifically for helping those we've encountered as Avengers, and that covers the rest." Point. "You in the oversized coat."

"This is for the Winter Soldier." Bucky's tension visibly tripled. The woman's gaze was intent and uncompromising. "You've been conclusively linked to countless assassinations over the past fifty years. You also have a track record of multiple kinds of corruption and other illicit activities for the benefit of HYDRA. What gives you the right to call yourself a hero?"

Yuu bared his teeth at the screen, a low growl coming from his chest. Even Pepper winced, and Maria's mouth straightened into a firm line of disapproval.

Bucky's eyes darkened, as self-recriminating as they were angry, and when he continued to appear disinclined to speak, Scott broke in, with his fake, self-deprecating smile.

"I hate to enter the conversation when you addressed it specifically the the Soldier here, but I've got something to say about that myself." He folded his arms over the podium, an attempted facsimile of Tony's position. "It's been confirmed - and released to the press, or so Stark tells me - that the Soldier was not in control of his actions while he was with HYDRA. He was brainwashed and memory-wiped on a regular basis, and most of his time was spent frozen in a machine." He shrugged. "How would _you_ do in a similar situation? Because I'm pretty sure I would've been stuck there for the rest of my life, killing people for no reason that I understood or remembered."

"You say he was brainwashed. How do you know he's really broken out of it?" the woman pushed.

Yuu growled again, louder, and Allen let out a soft, worried noise. Lavi's head dropped and he frowned at the screen, expression out of sight of the adults.

"Was this really a good idea?" Maria murmured to Pepper, who shrugged helplessly.

"They'll need to get used to it eventually - this _is_ the environment they're growing up in." Not to mention, if they didn't _let_ them see this, they'd probably find a way to get at the information themselves. At least this way, they could supervise and help them understand.

Scott shrugged, and Steve broke in, flashing Bucky a reassuring look. "I won't lie; Bucky has his good days and his bad days. There are days when it takes him a little longer to answer to his name than usual, and some days when he doesn't respond to it at all." Steve's expression turned stern. "But I can promise you this: he made _damn_ sure that he wasn't a danger before he came looking, and I personally believe that even if he came right after he first escaped, he _still_ wouldn't have hurt anyone. Now, with his memories restored and a team he can trust, he's as much a hero as any of us."

"Is he really?" Her voice tilted upward skeptically. "He has quite the history."

Steve made as if to answer, but Bucky interrupted.

He'd forced his grip to loosen, and he'd fixed a steely gaze on the reporter, who wavered slightly but (possibly unwisely) didn't retract her question.)

"I may not be a hero," he said, slow and careful and calm. Yuu scowled at him. "You're… right about that. But I run with them; I see them every day. You speak of my history, and you're right, it is unforgivable."

"Calm," Allen murmured to Yuu, tilting his head slightly so it just brushed Yuu's shoulder. Yuu took a deep breath and forced his fists to unclench, but didn't take his eyes off Bucky.

"My work with the Avengers," Bucky continued, "does not make me a hero, but it sets me on the path to balancing my history. It doesn't rewrite it; it doesn't wipe it out, or make it better. But I am doing good things now, and for this reason if for no other, I will keep breathing."

Rhodey cleared his throat loudly. Bucky winced and fell silent.

"My opinion might be uninvited," Rhodey said mildly, with a glint of steel in his eyes, "but I can't let this pass without comment. All of us, I hope you remember, have lives outside of our work as Avengers, and while we hoped to get through this without talking about that, I'd like to say this: on a professional level, the Winter Soldier is a valuable member of our team who helps us save quite a few lives every time we fight. On a personal level, though, there's an awful lot of people at the tower who'd miss him if he were gone."

"Thank you. No follow up questions." She stepped back.

"Calm," Lavi encouraged Yuu. Unlike Allen, he just got a fierce scowl and a brief look at the slightly panicked glint in Kanda's eyes. Lavi's eyes softened. Quietly, he added, "He wouldn't do it. Not with you to take care of."

A muscle jumped in Kanda's jaw, and he wished he were as certain as Lavi was.

"You in the grey hoodie!" Tony tried again, but he held no hope at this point; this was a bad day already and it'd probably just get worse. (For this reason alone, he hated press conferences with all the Avengers. They never went well.)

"There's been talk in the government of a Superhuman Registration Act. As some of the most prominent superhumans in our country and, indeed, the world, what's your take on it?"

"The government-" Tony started.

"First of all-" Steve said at the same time.

Both of them stopped abruptly and looked at each other with almost identical looks of wariness and irritation, while back at the tower, Allen and Lavi did the same, worried. After a few long, awkward moments, Tony shrugged and leaned back casually, ceding the floor to Steve.

Steve coughed. "First of all, despite the name of the SHRA, the term the government has been favoring lately is metahumans; we'll be using that." That clearly up, he lifted his chin, a determined gleam in his eyes, a certain tightness in his jaw that indicated his feelings well before he started to voice them. "And I believe that all people, of any race or gender, American or otherwise, natural-born or immigrant, and, yes, even human or metahuman, have rights, including the right to privacy. Under no circumstances will I support the SHRA, and I will do everything in my power to prevent it from passing."

Before the report could ask a follow-up, Tony cleared his throat loudly, casting Steve a sidelong look, arms crossed in a way that belied his tension.

"On the other hand," Tony put in, feigning cheer, "this is a country whose politics are built on compromise. Obviously, the SHRA as it stands is a piece of crap that none of us want passed. On the other hand, apparently the people are unhappy with the situation as it stands - what gives, guys?" Tittering. Tony smiled tightly. "I take a… _slightly_ different stance on this from the Capsicle over there. Something needs to be done, obviously, but not that, guys, really." He shrugged. "We'll work something out."

Steve twisted to face Tony, clearly alarmed and more than a little angry. "You can't really support this?"

Tony frowned back. "Look, Cap, I know you've crawled out of a different time and all, but now, people know that they aren't always that safe, and safety comes either with compromise or after a hell of a lot of fighting."

"And which do you think this will cause?" Wanda asked tartly, speaking for the first time since the conference began. The crowd began to murmur, a few people scrambling for phones and recorders and other devices.

"I'm with Cap," Sam said, careful but firm. "That amount of regulation is a steep path that we _really_ don't want to go down."

"Why stop at identification?" Natasha put in, eyes flashing dangerously. "Why not place restrictions, surveillance, no-fly zones, segregation- This is how it starts, Stark. It starts with identification."

"Of course we wouldn't allow it to pass as it is," Tony pushed back, frowning. "What do you take me for? I have as much stake in this as you do."

"No, I don't think you do," Steve said tightly, with a brief, almost unnoticeable glance at Bucky, who was very carefully not speaking.

"Compromise is good," Scott tried, looking like he'd much rather disassociate himself from the conversation.

"Idiots," Pepper muttered softly, rising from her place on the couch to go and crouch by the kids, who were watching the argument brew and rise, wide-eyed. "Boys, it'd probably be best-"

Lavi made a low, discontented sound, twisting to give her a dismayed look. "Not watching not gonna make it go away," he muttered, but he looked frightened enough to alarm Pepper.

"It won't," Pepper agreed. The other two boys turned to look at her, too, though they were clearly loathe to draw their attention from the Avengers. "But they shouldn't be doing this, not on public and not where they know you'll see them." Quieter, "You don't _have_ to watch this."

Lavi stared at her uncertainly, a worried furrow in his brow, but was saved from having to make a decision by Scott, who had apparently had a sudden epiphany and appeared to be very relieved about it.

"Do you really want the kids to see this?"

That was enough to stop both Steve and Tony in their tracks, and with the two ringleaders out, the rest settled down reluctantly, much to the disappointment of the media. Pepper sighed slightly, and, watching the kids relax (though they were still clearly unsettled), retreated to Maria, who was giving her an odd look and a deep, thoughtful frown, which she determinedly ignored.

"Kids?" asked one reporter without waiting to be called on, interested.

"Please wait to be called," Tony said with a tight smile.

The reporter put his hand up.

"Alright, you."

"Kids?" the reporter repeated. Tony sighed and then laughed a little.

"Yeah, kids. You guys remember Lavi, right?"

There was a general chorus of confirmation, and the reporter currently asking the questions added,

"How is he?"

Tony grinned broadly, relaxing a little now that the argument had been stalled. "He's great, thanks. Getting bigger every day, it's absurd, how can any human grow that fast?" Laughter. "I'm trying to get him to show an interest in mathematics, but no luck so far. I'm sure I'll get to him in the end, though."

"You mentioned multiple kids, though," the reporter pointed out. Tony's smile faded slightly.

"Yeah, well, he has a few friends now," he allowed, more carefully. He glanced at the others, and Steve took over, shoulders still tense but voice level.

"We haven't had a good chance to mention it yet," Steve told them, "but I guess now's as good a time as any." The anticipation in the air was almost tangible, even from the tower. "Nat and I adopted a little boy, almost two years old now - the last of the paperwork went through last month."

A small smile crossed Natasha's mouth unbidden, and Allen beamed just at the mention, wriggling happily. Lavi laughed at him.

"You'd think Natasha had hung the moon and Steve the stars, the way Allen looks at them," Sam tacked on, a small, amused smirk on his mouth as he glanced teasingly at Steve, who blushed slightly, looking pleased.

"Congratulations," the reporter told him. Steve smiled.

"Thanks," he said. "Bucky has a kid, too - another little boy about Lavi's age. The kids are part of the reason we didn't want to talk about our personal lives much."

"Understood," the reporter agreed. "No further questions."

From there, the conference's subject changed to whether the tower was a suitable environment for children - "Well, the adoption agency seemed to think so" - to the Avengers' plans for their immediate future, and then moved on.

The kids watched the whole time. Maria was very impressed.

* * *

Lavi poked into the lab, hesitant in a way that he wasn't normally.

He was alone this time; Allen was with Natasha, and Yuu with Scott, while Steve and Bucky were talking about… something serious, probably, that they didn't want anyone else overhearing.

Lavi had decided to come down here, where Tony was, as usual, because he'd been worried lately; there had been a few more arguments around the tower than usual, almost all about the SHRA, and Tony had very few people on his side. Tony was getting more tense, too. Lavi didn't like it.

Tony was working under a car, but he slid out as Lavi approached, cocking an eyebrow curiously. It morphed to concern as he took in Lavi's uncertain, shifty demeanor and he sat up.

"Hey," he greeted, waving a greasy hand at Lavi. "What's up, little buddy?"

Lavi bit his lip and struggled for a moment, and Tony frowned. Finally, Lavi asked, "Did you argue with Steve 'gain?"

Tony's face fell slightly, and he frowned. "Actually, yeah, but you don't need to worry about that." He flashed a grin that Lavi could see right through; between himself and Allen, he was well-versed in the art of fake smiles. "We'll work it out."

Lavi 'hm'ed discontentedly. "He shouldn't be so mad," Lavi mumbled.

Tony reached forward to pull him closer and hug him briefly, one-armed and dirty. "Hey, now, people argue all the time, and that's fine. I get mad, too, after all." Lavi looked up at him, clearly unconvinced. Tony grinned. "Hey, I'm easy to get mad at." Lavi was still staring at him. Apparently he needed a distraction. "Say, I haven't seen you working on your record lately. How's it going?"

It was blatant and almost embarrassingly unsubtle, but Lavi's eyes lit up at the mention anyway, successfully distracted. "Really well! I think I caught up on past stuff and I wanna catch up on stuff from now, but I'm not there yet."

"Really? Let's take a look." Tony grinned, and Lavi got up and pulled him along, out and up the elevator.

"I'm not gonna forget," Lavi added without looking at him, while they were waiting to reach their floor.

"Damn," Tony muttered. "It's not your job to worry about me, you remember that, right?"

Lavi wrinkled his nose at him, clearly displaying his opinion of that statement. Tony was caught, again, between a sigh and a laugh.

"You're gonna be the death of me someday."

Lavi stuck his tongue out at him.

In Lavi's room, where he kept his (going on five, Tony believed) notebooks full of recordings, hidden in a locked chest in the back of his closet, they both settled on his bed with Lavi's latest record open on his lap, and he flipped through it to show Tony some of the things he'd written.

It was interesting, Tony noted. The handwriting was sloppy and huge, very obviously a child's writing, but the language itself was more sophisticated than even anything he'd ever heard come out of Lavi's mouth, and without a single misspelling to boot.

The content itself reflected what Tony remembered Lavi telling him about Bookmen in the past; it was less biased than any history book Tony had ever seen in school, and it covered everything - which made it a very boring read, but Tony was pretty much immune to boring when it came to Lavi.

"And you did this for most of your last life?" he asked, eyes flicking over a page about Wanda's personal history. (It was probably for the best that all of these were securely locked up with a fingerprint and combination scanner. In later years, he'd probably have to add to the security. Maybe digitalize it and make the firewalls himself…)

"Mm-hm," Lavi hummed in confirmation, tilting his head to grin at him, green eyes sparkling. He really did love history. Weird kid. "Even when I was an exorcist, I was still a Bookman."

Tony 'hm'ed, too. "And you just recorded what you saw?"

Lavi shook his head. "Nah. There were some things that I had to record that I couldn't just see as an exorcist, see? So I'd have to go in as a Bookman, then they couldn't keep me out." He shrugged. "I kept track of what I should be seeing - came in handy, sometimes, too. 'Cause if one of my friends was gonna face Central or someone alone, I could come in as a Bookman. I couldn't help, but at least they knew someone friendly was there, you know?"

A frown had creased Lavi's brow, discontent appearing in his eyes. Tony cleared his throat.

"How did you end up there, anyway?"

Lavi shrugged. "It was a war, right?"

Yes, it was. Tony tried not to think about that too hard.

"So Bookman took me there," Lavi continued without waiting for an answer. "'Cause he thought it was finishing. And hey." He threw out his arms, with a wry smirk. "It was!"

"That's one way of putting it," Tony muttered, and Lavi snickered. "Think your friends will ever be willing to talk about it?" He was still growing steadily more uncomfortable with keeping the kids' secret, and while he wouldn't dream of spilling the beans himself, well…

He was between a rock and hard place, let's put it that way.

Lavi instantly sobered up again, scooting closer to Tony to press against him, and Tony automatically threw his arm around to hug him lightly. (Right, he was still filthy. Pepper would be so pissed; the sheets were dirty, now, too. She'd make him change them.)

"I don't know," Lavi admitted softly. "But I don't think so. They don't like to talk about things at all, and they both got hit a lot worse than I did." Quieter, "I don't think it'll ever stop hurting for them."

Worry creased Tony's brow, and a few moments of silence passed before he forced it away and reached for the record.

"Alright, and what've you got in here about Cap?" he asked. "I think I could tell you a few interesting stories if you want 'em, God knows my old man gave me enough…"

* * *

It wasn't as hard as it used to be, Lavi would give himself that much. (Couldn't say much more, though.)

Kanda and Lavi had found a few moments to themselves again. Tony was giving Bucky's arm a few upgrades. Wanda had made off with Allen again, and Scott and Rhodey were the only other ones in, two rooms over at the moment.

Lavi was staying quiet for now; it wasn't just about getting back into shape for Kanda, at least not at the moment. It was one of the few ways he'd learned, before, to work off stress, and God knew he'd gotten enough of that piled up on him lately.

Both of them were breathing hard, despite how slowly they were moving, but their coordination, at least, was improving. They couldn't jump or do anything fancy like they used to, which was a perpetual disappointment and frustration, but swing-deflect-kick-dodge was still well within the realm of possibility, though still unreasonably difficult.

After a while, Lavi decided to prod at Kanda, careful and light. "The grown-ups have had a lot on their plates recently, huh?" He aimed a punch at Kanda's gut, and Kanda knocked it aside and kicked at him. Lavi sidestepped, nearly fell over, and had to duck another punch. "Yuu!"

Kanda growled at him, but after a moment, said grudgingly, "Yeah."

His voice was tight with tension. Lavi's grin didn't falter. "Bucky seems to be handling it pretty well."

Kanda snorted, stepped just outside Lavi's reach to avoid his punch, and grabbed his arm to pull him forward, sending him sprawling to the ground. While he was down, he muttered, "Yeah, _right._ Stupid bear's as nervous as I am."

Lavi got his breath back and rolled over to give Kanda a startled look, and Yuu crossed his arms, looked away, and scowled, a little bit of color on his cheeks; he probably hadn't meant to say that.

Lavi let it slide, hopped up, and aimed a kick that caught Yuu off-guard, making him stumble and curse. "I'm a little scared, too," he said conversationally. "Lotta people ganging up on Dad, y'know? He hates it."

"He's got Pepper," Kanda muttered, and then there was no more talking, because they were out of breath already.

Finally, Kanda attempted a cartwheel, fell over spectacularly, and puffed on the ground for a bit. When he didn't get up immediately, Lavi dropped down beside him with a heavy sigh.

"Pro… probably shouldn't be this tired," Lavi muttered, panting, and Kanda grunted an agreement.

The two of them spent a few minutes catching their breath, and then went and got some juice boxes they'd grabbed earlier and sat against a wall with them, side by side.

"It's not looking good for us either, though, is it?" Lavi asked without looking, voice softening pensively. Kanda scowled.

"No," he admitted, voice low. "'Cause metahumans… that's us, too." He wrinkled his nose and pressed against the wall a little more firmly. "

"But we'll be alright," Lavi pushed.

"Yeah, sure," Kanda snorted. "'Cause we _always_ are."

"...Yeah." Kanda probably had a point there.


	28. Rising Tide

"We can't let this happen. It goes against everything we stand for, Stark, and it's wrong on _every conceivable level._ 'Slowing it down' isn't good enough."

"Idealism is great, _Rogers,_ but I live in the real world. And in the real world, sometimes, you don't get everything you want."

"You think I don't know that?"

The tension in the living room had thickened the air to gelatin, and the white-hot sparks skittering between the two occupants were practically tangible. Tony was splayed lazily on the couch, deadly brown eyes fixed on Steve, who was rigid, both feet on the ground and elbows firmly planted on his thighs, fists clenched. Steve's gaze was stony, jaw set with determination.

In the background, the television played a corny sit-com on mute, and tucked behind the couch, Lavi was curled up in a ball, reminding himself why he was there and refusing to look.

"It's hard. I get it," Steve continued, the volume of his voice rising steadily even as he fought to keep his tone even. "But you can't sacrifice your morals for the sake of convenience. You're better than that. I _know_ you're better than that!"

Tony's mouth twisted into a sneer. "What? Because dear _Dad_ was?"

Steve flinched almost unnoticeably, and his eyes darkened, shoulders tensing. "No," he forced out. "Because I've _seen_ it."

Tony smiled sarcastically. "I'm flattered by your faith in me, Capsicle. Unfortunately, you've dumped a lot on my plate recently - I'm keeping Bucky out of all greedy hands, knocking CPS off our backs every other damn day, cowing the whole goddamn government into staying out of Avengers business - and this? Much more and some balls are gonna get dropped, Cap."

Steve's tension tripled, and he barely took a moment to absorb that before he ripped himself off the couch and spun to loom over Tony, looking at once furious and betrayed. Tony tilted his head back to look back at Steve with challenge in his eyes, not otherwise shifting from his relaxed position.

"Is this a _game_ to you?" Steve demanded, voice rough and raw. "Take responsibility, Stark, we all do our parts! Why can't you?"

Tony crossed his arms with a mocking smile. "Can't, sorry. Got allergies, see, avoid responsibility the best I can."

Steve's mouth tightened. "Yeah, I noticed that. I guess the team doesn't mean enough to you. Does _Pepper_ even mean enough to you?"

Tony's smile vanished.

"Don't you feel any sort of obligation to be a good man? A good _role model?_ Or are you passing off that responsibility too?"

Tony was on his feet so fast that it was a surprise he hadn't flown, with an ugly look on his face. "Obligation? Is that what _you_ run off of, Cap? Is that why you're so determined to look after Barnes?"

The air went cold and damp, like an ominous winter fog. Steve took a step forward, one fist twitching upward-

"Uncle Steve?"

Both men froze. At the same time, both of them looked to where the voice had come from, where Lavi was peeking out from behind the couch, emerald eyes wide and maybe a little scared. They lingered on Steve's half-raised fist, and Steve immediately put it down. It didn't stop his hand from itching with the weight of Lavi's look - the little boy had known _exactly_ what he'd been thinking of doing, Steve realized.

Tony plastered on a smile, smoothly stepping back from Steve. "Hey, little buddy. How long were you hanging out back there?"

Lavi edged forward a little, still on his hands and knees, worry making its way out to match the fear. Instead of answering the question, he asked, "Uncle Steve, are you mad at Daddy?"

Steve glanced back at Tony. Despite the smile the other man had put on, there was still a little surprise in his eyes; in fact, he looked shaken.

Instantly, Steve felt bad, most of his anger draining away. Looking back to Lavi, he shook his head. "No. We just had a little argument, that's all. Don't worry."

Lavi didn't look convinced in the slightest, and as Steve forcibly unclenched his fists, wincing at the sting in his palms, he couldn't blame the little boy.

He forced a strained smile.

"Excuse me," he murmured, and hurried out of the room with the gym in mind. He needed to clear his head.

As soon as he was gone, Lavi scrambled up, nearly tripping over his own feet to get to Tony, worry overtaking the fear. He tugged at Tony's shirt, clearly anxious.

"He didn't mean it," Lavi nearly begged, as much a question as a promise. "He didn't mean it!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Tony protested, letting Lavi drag him down until he was sitting on the ground, eyes about level with Lavi's. He ignored his own racing heart and soothed, "No, he didn't mean it. Cap's just a big teddy bear, really, you know that. Trust me, I would've been just fine." Anyway, if Steve _had_ punched him, hell, Tony probably would've deserved it.

Lavi still looked uncertain, tiny fingers clinging onto Tony's shirt loosely. "Angry people do stupid things," the four-year-old whispered.

Tony's eyes softened and he reached up to ruffle Lavi's hair. "Yeah, they do. And good people make mistakes, too. But he wouldn't have hurt me. Not badly."

Lavi's head dipped, and Tony caught the glimmer of unshed tears in his eyes. "'Cause friends don't hurt friends."

"Exactly."

* * *

Maria's job as Pepper's PA may have just been a cover for her real one as a liaison, but she still took it very seriously.

After spending so long keeping Tony on track, Pepper was perfectly capable of managing her own time. Maria sent her reminders and kept her office meticulously neat, and generally, that was enough, which left Maria feeling somewhat redundant.

The majority of Maria's job was looking after the Avengers.

Maria knew how much Pepper hated passing this task off to anyone, and it was understandable; Pepper, like a mother bear, was fiercely protective of anyone she took under her wing, and that included every one of the Avengers _and_ their children.

But even Pepper could only do so much in a day.

Taking on this task had actually been something of a relief for Maria. Until then, Pepper had not seemed sure of what to do with Maria. It had been worse in the beginning, and it got better as Pepper learned to ask for help, but Maria hadn't been entrusted with a major, ongoing task until the Avengers came. For a woman used to a life spent in perpetual motion, it was a little jarring.

Looking after the Avengers, it developed, was not an easy task, and Maria respected Pepper for having done it for the older, rowdier team. It included, among other things, handling PR, working with FRIDAY to manage supplies, and keeping the team cohesive.

After that first, public argument, 'keeping them cohesive' had meant checking in multiple times a day. Formerly, Maria had checked in multiple times a _week._

Maria was sort of worried that, the next time she had to make a trip to SHIELD, she would return to find the tower on fire.

She wondered if Pepper felt like this. It would explain a lot.

For now, though, Maria had a job to do. Her first stop was the living room; there was usually at least one Avenger in there, often more. At the moment, it was Rhodey and Steve, both playing a racing game with tension sparking between them, carefully ignored. She cleared her throat loudly, and Rhodey cursed and dropped his remote. Steve just twisted around and raised one hand in greeting, a corner of his lip twitching up in a halfhearted smile.

"Hey, Maria. Checking in again?"

"That's the long and short of it," Maria confirmed. "Anything to be concerned about, Captain?" Steve considered it his responsibility more than hers to look after his team, but in this case, he needed a little help.

Steve's mouth twisted into a sort of pained smile. "Tony's out of his lab."

"That's good," Maria commented, keeping her voice carefully neutral. "He's been down there for four days now."

"He does that sometimes," Rhodey said, voice pulled almost as tight as Steve's, though he didn't send so much as a sideways glance. "Usually when there's something he doesn't want to talk about."

"Believe me, I don't want to talk about it either," Steve muttered. "Not my fault he won't-"

"Tell that to-" Rhodey's expression was starting to tighten up as well; he had far more control than Tony did, but he was a loyal friend. Always had been, as far as Maria could tell.

_"Boys."_

Both of them looked at her. Maria belatedly realized what she had said and frowned at both of them disapprovingly.

"Act like children and I will treat you like children," she said instead of owning up to her embarrassment. "We don't want this to get any uglier than it already is."

Steve visibly deflated before her and pulled up a weary, apologetic smile. "You're right. Sorry, Maria. And you too, Rhodey - that was below the belt." That part of him had been coming out lately. Steve liked to think he did well under stress, but this… this was getting to him.

He was worried about Bucky.

Rhodey returned with a smile of his own, as if his anger had been wiped away. Steve felt a little better, though he knew that it was a lie. "No worries, Captain. We all have our off days."

Maria gave them both a nod and moved on.

The next set of Avengers wasn't difficult to find; in a mostly-ignored rec room, Maria heard the sound of raised voices, sighed, and pushed the door open.

Wanda and Tony didn't even break their stride. They weren't loud, not like Tony and Steve were, but there was a dangerous venom in Wanda's eyes, echoes of resentments that never quite faded because they'd never been addressed, and faint light around her hands. For his part, Tony's eyes were filled with the fire of the challenge, and his arms were crossed over his chest, jaw set.

"-and I know that you do not know _how_ to bring peace, Stark, I am sure that you are trying, but _do not,"_ Wanda hissed, low and strained and eyes snapping with suppressed rage.

Tony opened his mouth. Maria sighed and interrupted, "Arguing in abandoned rec rooms doesn't actually make you any harder to find."

Both of them jumped and looked at her. Tony frowned and took a step back, glancing away, but Wanda nodded.

"I apologize," she said stiffly, and with her head bent, she brushed past Maria, tension in every line of her frame. Maria sighed for the umpteenth time. These people were exhausting.

To Tony, she said, "Can you _try_ not to wind your teammates up, Stark?"

A smirk flicked across his lips. "Well, I can _try."_

Maria scowled at him. He raised his hands innocently.

"Hey, alright, I get it. Don't set anything on fire unless it's in my lab."

"Do we need to have the lab safety talk again?" Pepper had given Maria a script for that one, actually.

"...No?"

Maria decided to give it to him later anyway.

She checked the boys' playroom next. There was someone there, but not any of the people Maria had been expecting.

"You are alarmingly domestic sometimes, Lang."

Scott started and then looked up with a sheepish smile and a shrug. "Oh, uh, hi, Maria." He looked down at the toys he was picking up, and half-grimaced, half-grinned. "Yeah, I guess. Something to do, I suppose." His eyes darted past her and the grin dimmed noticeably.

"Hm." 'Keeping the team cohesive' was not supposed to be the most difficult or stressful part of her job description. "Wanda and Stark had an argument, I broke it up a minute ago. Feel free to check up on either one of them."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll, ah, make sure to do that," Scott hastened to assure her, but didn't seem in any hurry to leave the isolation of the playroom.

"I'd appreciate it," Maria agreed, and ducked back out.

In the gym, Natasha and Bucky were in the middle of a spar. Bucky's brow was furrowed, a half-scowl stretched across his face, and he was sweatier than usual. Natasha's expression was a mixture of patient and resigned; this was probably more for stress than entertainment or training.

Maria was more or less satisfied with this and considered leaving to resume her search, but Natasha caught her eye, and she stayed, waiting.

Natasha finished the round quickly, and she and Bucky spoke quietly for a few moments. Bucky's eyes flicked over to her and his lips twitched into a frown, but he nodded stiffly and moved on to a punching bag, which he started to menace viciously. Seemingly satisfied, Natasha crossed the room to Maria and then stood in front of her, mouth pulled in a straight, serious line.

"Something wrong, Romanoff?" Maria asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Things are getting worse for Bucky," Natasha informed her. There was little expression on her face and her posture was relaxed, but Maria knew Natasha better than that. "I'm not sure Stark can keep this up much longer - I hate to say it, but he may have a point that we're asking him to juggle too much."

Maria's brow furrowed slightly and she nodded. "I hate to agree with him, but…"

"We're putting some plans in place," Natasha continued, gaze unwavering and somehow intense. Maria set her jaw and returned it full force. "If the government manages to take all of us - yes, unlikely, but don't give me that look - Lavi will be able to stay with Pepper, but Allen and Yuu might not. Steve and I have talked about it, and we want you to take Allen if anything happens to us."

Maria took a moment to process that, and then her mouth fell open slightly as her composure fell apart. "You want me to be _godmother?"_

A small, amused smile flickered across Natasha's face. "Actually, yes. We do."

Maria stared at her for a few moments before she shook her head, pressing her hand to her forehead for a brief moment. "You'll be the death of me, Romanoff," she muttered, and then she opened her eyes again and nodded once. "Yes, fine, I understand."

Natasha's expression softened slightly. "Thank you, Maria."

Maria shook her head. "Has Bucky said where he wants Yuu to go?"

Natasha frowned slightly, a shadow slinking in behind her eyes. "If all of us are taken? No. Not yet. I don't think he trusts anyone enough. If it starts to look likely, I'll recommend someone for him myself - he doesn't know many people outside the Avengers."

"I assume you'll see about that," Maria said more than asked. Natasha nodded. "Then, if that's all, I have more grumpy Avengers to track down, and _hopefully_ no more bombshells."

Natasha smiled, amused again. "Yes, that's all. I'll see you later, Maria."

Maria nodded distractedly and took off, leaving Natasha to go back to calming Bucky down, and, if Maria was any judge, trying to get him to assign someone other than Steve as godfather.

Vision was easy to find; he hated the conflict among his team, and he avoided it the best he could. That meant that he spent an awful lot of time in his room.

His eyes flicked up as she came in, and he offered a small, weary smile and raised a hand in greeting.

"Welcome, Maria. Yes, I have entered the common floor since you saw me last night."

Maria nodded approvingly, hanging back by the door. "Thank you, Vision. How have things been at the tower?"

Vision frowned and looked at the floor again, brow furrowed. "They are… difficult," he said at last, visibly unsettled. "Tony and Steve have been as yet unable to reconcile their differences. The topic is rarely addressed directly, but the pressure is so immediate and disagreeable that its shadow… falls over everything." His gaze flicked up to her again. "They have forgotten how to get along. Even the children have noticed. Allen especially despises it."

Maria nodded, eyes solemn. "I know. I suppose it hasn't gotten any better, then?"

Silently, Vision shook his head. Maria sighed.

"Thank you. I'll leave you here, but don't forget to visit the rest of the tower every once in a while."

"I understand," Vision said seriously, and once again, Maria left.

The last stop was the kitchen; she had visited earlier, but apparently she'd missed them. Now, however, Sam could be seen with the three children, who were seated around the table, coloring, while Sam put something together for lunch.

Lavi perked up as she came in and dropped his crayon to wave. "Maria!" he greeted cheerfully. Maria thought that there was something strained about his voice, but she offered a small smile anyway, while Allen glanced up and gave her a weak smile, and Yuu ignored her entirely, scowling.

"Hello, Lavi, Allen, Yuu, Wilson." Sam turned around, giving her a slightly surprised look, but got over it quickly enough and gave her a small grin.

"Oh, hey, Maria. Steve mentioned you were here."

Maria nodded. "You haven't been easy to find."

"I was out with the kids," he explained. "There's a small park a ways away." A grimace tugged at the corners of his mouth. "We thought it'd be good for them to get out of the tower for a bit, but obviously putting Tony and Steve together would be a bad idea, so…"

"I completely agree," Maria said honestly, wincing at the thought. "How did it go?"

"Better than I expected," Sam chuckled. "I didn't lose any of them once." He reconsidered. "Well, there was Allen that one time, but Yuu found him before anyone could panic too much."

"He has a talent for that," Maria murmured, and Yuu snorted at his paper. She chuckled quietly herself and continued, "Anything I need to know about?"

"Did Natasha tell you about the thing?" Sam asked. Maria paled slightly and nodded. Sam laughed at her, some of the tension draining out of his shoulders with the sound. "Then no, we're good. Thanks."

Maria inclined her head slightly. "Anytime."

She could see why Coulson had gotten so attached to these people. Damn, she couldn't make fun of him anymore.

* * *

On Bucky and Steve's floor, there was a designated 'quiet room', with a couch, a coffee table, and a bookshelf. It was dimly lit and meant for Bucky, mostly, on the bad days that still happened sometimes, but was also sometimes used for serious discussions. This was one of the latter scenarios.

Steve and Bucky were on either end of the small couch, and Yuu was sandwiched between them, curled into a little ball and scowling fiercely at the table, refusing to look at either of them.

"Okay, Yuu," Steve said quietly, when it looked like Bucky didn't want to open the discussion. "Do you remember what Bucky explained to you, about him being in trouble and maybe having to go into time-out for a while?"

Yuu nodded stiffly, but didn't otherwise move or speak.

"We wanted to talk to you about what will happen to you if Bucky has to go away for a while," Steve elaborated, keeping his voice soft.

Yuu scowled harder and looked away from him, more toward Bucky. Bucky's brow was furrowed, the man looking almost like he was in pain, but as Steve glanced at him, he picked up the thread of conversation.

"Yuu." Yuu looked up. He was still scowling, but something about his eyes was almost fragile. Bucky put his human hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, trying to be reassuring but actually feeling just as lost as the little boy. "It may not happen," he said, because he needed to, and then, "However, if it does, I need you to be strong. Do you understand?"

Yuu nodded hesitantly.

"I may be going away for a very long time," Bucky continued, "and I will not be able to take care of you for that time." He didn't mention the possibility that he might not be able to come back, but his gaze flicked up to Steve and he could see the pain in his old friend's eyes; he was all too aware of the possibilities.

He looked back down to see Yuu's eyes wide with something like panic, and his mouth went dry, his heart squeezing painfully.

Yuu shouldn't have to suffer for his actions.

He had to swallow twice before he could continue; Steve's reassuring, if equally worried, look was a godsend as he forcibly recentered himself. "In… in that case, Yuu, you'll go with Steve and Natasha. They'll take care of you."

A soft whine fell from Yuu's mouth, his expression crumpling slightly; he'd never dealt with strong emotions very well. Bucky was sure he'd grow out of it someday, though.

He wanted to be around to see that happen, damn it.

"It'll be okay," Bucky insisted, a touch of desperation to his tone.

"We're doing our best to keep Bucky with us," Steve added quickly, seeing Yuu close to tears. "If any of us has any say in it at all, this won't have to happen. We just want to be prepared."

Yuu looked completely unconvinced. He sniffled, and one arm went up to scrub furiously at his eyes. "Don't want Steve and Tasha," he snapped petulantly, a catch in his voice that made them both wince. "Want the _bear."_

"I know," Steve soothed. "I know. We're trying to keep that from happening."

Yuu sniffled again, refusing to look at him. Steve sighed and reached forward to ruffle Yuu's hair briefly, ignoring Yuu's weak slap at his hand, and met Bucky's pained eyes. He gave the other man a small, weak smile of his own, and then he stood up.

"I think Yuu needs a moment to calm down from that," he murmured.

Bucky nodded roughly, and Steve gave him a reassuring look, strain in the corners of his eyes, and then left the two of them alone.

Bucky moved over to lift Yuu onto his lap, and Yuu clung to him with ferocity, clearly trying not to cry and just as clearly not succeeding.

"Bear not leave," Yuu mumbled fiercely, eyes squeezed shut. _"Not!"_

"Sh, Yuu," Bucky murmured, feeling pretty shaken himself, taking deep breaths as he forced himself to focus. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here. Sh."

_"Not!"_

Despite everything, Bucky's lips twitched up into a painful smile, and Yuu looked up to glare angrily at him through tear-filled eyes.

"You've got a strong spirit," Bucky murmured, fingers stroking through Yuu's hair. "You'll be fine."

"Not," Yuu repeated weakly, fists still balled in Bucky's jacket, gaze not breaking from Bucky's. Bucky felt himself soften, and he sighed and tipped his head back, still holding tightly to Yuu.

"I'm glad to have known you, Yuu," Bucky said quietly, more to himself than to his son. "And I wouldn't give you up for anything in the world. I just want to see you grow up."

He felt Yuu shift to tip his head up and look at him, but he didn't see the uneasy, almost stricken expression on the four-year-old's face.

"Not," Yuu whispered stubbornly one last time, letting himself fall against Bucky, tears still trickling down his face.

* * *

In their bedroom, Steve and Natasha were talking. They weren't yelling, weren't even close, but they were distinctly arguing, as Natasha tried to talk Steve down from something - Allen forgot what.

Allen himself was curled up just outside the door, staring at the floor with unfocused eyes as he listened as hard as he could, taking breaths that were unsteady and shallow.

There'd been a lot of arguing around lately. Allen hated it - it made the atmosphere of the tower angry and oppressive, and it made it hard to smile. He did anyway, because there weren't enough smiles to go around, and they needed them. Allen was good at smiling when he didn't mean it; he may as well make use of the skill.

The argument was just getting intense, Allen flinching at the sounds of their voices and starting to tremble, when someone appeared in front of him, making him jump and squeak.

It was just Scott, though, crouched in front of him with a small, understanding smile.

"Hey, Allen," he said quietly. "What're you doing over here all alone?"

Allen swallowed and glanced back at the door. Technically, he was supposed to be in the playroom on this floor - Steve had put him there and even in a playpen when it was clear that Natasha wanted to talk to him - but…

"Tell you what," Scott said, when it became clear he wasn't going to answer. "Do you want to go somewhere else? I know this is real scary, right?" Allen nodded hesitantly. He still hated the sounds of angry voices, they frightened him, and those had been everywhere. "Alright, then."

With a playful grunt, Scott heaved Allen into the air, and Allen squeaked again and clung to him one-handed.

"Don't worry about Steve and Natasha," Scott added, heading to the elevator. Vaguely, Allen wondered what he'd wanted here in the first place. "They'll work it out."

Allen 'mm'ed disconsolately, dim silver eyes fixed on the floor. Scott sighed.

"I know, kid. I know." The elevator door closed behind them. "I don't like it, either."


	29. Less Than Average

"I see it! I see it!"

Lenalee, who'd spent the last ten minutes squinting intently at the sky, suddenly burst into motion, jumping up and down and pointing at a dot in the sky.

"Mommy, they'we hewe, they'we hewe!"

Melinda offered Lenalee a tense smile. "Yes, they are," she agreed. "Now that they're close enough to see, they should be landing in the next five minutes."

Lenalee beamed, still clinging onto her hand. Coulson chuckled softly, hands in his pockets as he waited patiently.

"It's interesting," he said conversationally, making Melinda raise an eyebrow at him. He smiled faintly. "Ten years ago, I never would have even believed in aliens. Now I'm waiting on a reincarnated soldier who fought in a secret war over a hundred years ago."

Against her will, Melinda felt her lips curl into a smile of her own. "This definitely isn't where I expected my life to go when I joined SHIELD."

As promised, the Quinjet landed within a few minutes, and Lenalee squirmed impatiently in place, wide eyes on the door.

Mack came down first, some strain in the corners of his eyes, raising a hand in silent greeting. Melinda supposed that the conversation had been almost as much of a strain on him as the one with Lenalee had been on her. She nodded in return, and Coulson quirked his eyebrows expectantly.

A few seconds later, Mack was followed by a teenage boy with close-cropped hair and a slightly anxious expression. As soon as Lenalee saw him, she let out a happy squeal and released Melinda's hand to tear across the blacktop. "Mawie!"

Melinda had just enough time to see surprise and then relief flash across Noise's face before he dropped to his knees and caught Lenalee in a tight hug, which she returned fullheartedly.

"He was pretty excited to see your girl," Mack called out to Melinda, rolling his eyes at his little brother. "After he got over the surprise of being caught out, that is."

"Sowwy," Lenalee mumbled guiltily to Noise. "Didn' mean ta give you 'way."

Noise chuckled, releasing Lenalee so he could lean back and give her a warm smile. "That's fine, Lenalee. Really, I should have told my family a long time ago."

"You bet your ass you should have," Mack snapped crabbily, and Noise gave him an apologetic look. Mack looked monumentally dissatisfied, but had apparently already said his fill, because he moved on. "May, Coulson, this is Noise - fifteen years old, reincarnated exorcist." Glancing at Lenalee, he added, "He's my younger brother."

Noise offered them a friendly smile and stood up, chuckling softly at Lenalee's sound of protest.

"Formerly Noise Marie," he added, holding out his hand to Coulson first. "Most people called me Marie, so if you hear someone using that name, they're talking about me."

"Good to meet you, Noise," Coulson replied with a small smile, shaking his hand. He nodded to Melinda, who was carefully surveying Noise, arms crossed. "This is Melinda May; she's Lenalee's mother."

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am," Noise told her, shaking her hand as well. Melinda noted the suddenly intent expression on his face, which gave her the distinct impression that she was being critically evaluated. Noise seemed almost… suspicious.

She was distracted by Lenalee's sudden squeak. Melinda looked down to see Lenalee staring up at Noise with wide eyes, and when he noticed her looking away, Noise followed her gaze, confused.

"Mawie…" Lenalee whispered, voice hushed with something like awe. "Youw eyes…"

The confusion stayed in Noise's eyes for a few moments more before it cleared away and his smile softened.

"I know," he said quietly. Melinda's mouth tightened as irritation flashed through her; it was clear that she'd missed quite a bit of subtext. "I can't believe it myself some days." He smiled again. "For my part, it's nice to see you walking again, Lenalee."

Lenalee beamed and bobbed her head happily, and Mack cleared his throat loudly, trying not to let his disturbance show on his face. Melinda, completely in agreement, was studying her daughter with a small frown and a cold heart.

There was a lot Lenalee wasn't telling her. She'd known that from the start, and it had only become more obvious as time passed.

Still, it was more than just 'unsettling' to realize that Lenalee had received at least one permanently debilitating injury, and hadn't thought that it was worth mentioning.

Noise offered his brother a guilty smile. "I know, Al, I know. I'll tell you everything, alright? Just give me a minute."

Mack snorted. "Fine. Not like it'll make a lot of difference, after fifteen years."

Noise gave Mack a grateful look, then returned his gaze to Lenalee. Lenalee, in turn, gave Melinda an anxious look. Melinda returned it with a long-suffering one that failed to hide her worry, but then nodded, turning to talk to Coulson in low tones. After a few moments and a long, lingering look, Mack joined in, leaving Noise and Lenalee to their conversation.

When Lenalee looked back at him, Noise's expression was intense, almost urgent.

"Are you okay?" he asked her seriously.

She smiled at him, brown eyes melancholy. "Yeah," she said softly. "Mommy's weally nice, an' evewyone hewe…" She trailed off.

"That's good," Noise said, visibly relieved. He laughed a little, sounding disbelieving and shaken. "I can't believe it. It was starting to think I'd never see any of you again."

"We'we hewe," Lenalee promised him earnestly, reaching to clasp her tiny hand around two of his fingers. "We'we okay."

Noise chuckled dryly. "Or something like it. What happened, Lenalee? By the time they found us, they'd already…" He stopped at Lenalee's flinch and grimaced in apology.

"I don' know," she said miserably. "Dey foun' me 'way fwom home. I couldn' wun - dey slit my thwoat, bu'..." She swallowed, close to tears, Noise's worried eyes fixed on her. "I- dey said- call us _dangewous."_

Noise nodded solemnly. "That's what they said to me and Miranda, too," he said regretfully. He hesitated noticeably, swallowed, and then asked, "Lenalee… Miranda, have you…?"

Lenalee shook her head. "No. Sowwy, Mawie."

Noise deflated. "No, that's okay. I expected that, really." He smiled at her wearily. "And call me Noise. Everyone does, now."

"'Kay, Noise." A moment of hesitation, and then, "Wha' happen t'you an' Miwanda?"

Noise grimaced, lifting one hand just so he could drop his forehead into it, closing his eyes against the memory. "They found us at a friend's house… Dustin's. You remember? I was fixing his roof." Lenalee nodded. "They trapped us in one of their circles, stabbed us both in the heart. They killed Dustin, too."

"Oh," Lenalee said in a small voice.

Noise opened his eyes again and smiled at her. "It's okay," he repeated. "It was a long time ago."

Lenalee nodded, but she looked a lot less certain than Noise did. Noise's expression softened and he reached forward to brush his fingers briefly through her hair.

"I sowwy, Noise," she said again, tears filling her eyes. "You'd gotten hew a wing."

Noise's head dipped slightly, and he nodded solemnly, letting his hand rest on her head. "I never got to propose to her," he said quietly. "But she knew I was going to. I told her right before we died."

Lenalee smiled tearfully. "So if she's out there…"

"She knows," Noise finished with a small smile. "I'm glad."

"She wait," Lenalee promised him, dislodging his hand with a shake of her head. "She wait fo you."

"I hope so," Noise sighed. "It's been fifteen years, and I still can't even imagine looking at another girl."

Lenalee giggled softly, and then another Quinjet came. Noise looked up, faintly startled, and then glanced quizzically at Lenalee, who'd hopped to her feet, startled and almost guilty, like she'd been caught slacking.

"Is that one of us?" Noise asked, startled. Lenalee could understand; she'd had a hard time believing it, too, when Link came, and it hadn't even been nearly as long for her.

Lenalee nodded. "Genewal Nyne," she explained. "Link's 'wound, too, bu' he not comin' t'day." At Noise's suddenly apprehensive look, she smiled sadly and shook her head. "Dey executed him. Not his fault."

"I see," Noise sighed, straightening up. He gave Lenalee a small smile. "Well, let's go greet the General."

She smiled and nodded, and together, they trotted over to rejoin the adults. Melinda looked down at Lenalee expectantly, and Lenalee gave her a bright smile. Melinda nodded back with a small smile of her own, and then the jet was landing.

Melinda, now that Lenalee had returned from her talk with her old friend, was watching her daughter carefully again. She seemed happy with whatever they'd talked about, though she'd looked sad a few times during the conversation.

Now, though, unlike when waiting for Noise, she was standing almost at attention, which tallied with what she'd mentioned about Klaud's position. Melinda wondered how old Klaud had been when she'd gained it; she was nineteen now, not much older than Noise.

On the other hand, while Melinda could sometimes see the shadows of past experiences in Lenalee's behavior, and Noise had a calm certainty about him that was found in no ordinary fifteen year old, it was Klaud who exhibited the signs most clearly. She held her head high, and while she was talking amiably enough with Simmons, with a small smile on her face, there was steel in her gaze, something forged in hardship and battle. She _looked_ like a much older woman.

Melinda didn't doubt for a moment that Klaud had been a general.

At that moment, Klaud looked over at them and nodded curtly, smile turning into a thoughtful frown. As she drew nearer, Melinda could see the same marks on her wrists that Lenalee, Link, and, she confirmed with a glance, Noise all bore.

Simmons waved at them, looking a little tired, but eyes bright. "Hello," she called out breathlessly. "Is that… is that Noise?"

"I am," Noise said politely, taking Simmons' greeting in stride. "Who are you?"

"Oh!" Simmons blushed, slightly embarrassed. "I'm Simmons, Jemma Simmons. I'd Klaud's older sister." She gave Klaud a worried sideways glance. "Um, am I still your older sister?"

Klaud chuckled softly. "I'd say so," she said fondly, and then looked Noise critically up and down. She nodded firmly. "You seem to be doing well, Noise. Good to see you again."

"Good to see you too, General," Noise returned. He glanced at Mack. "Al? Is something wrong?"

Mack was frowning at Klaud - possibly he'd noticed the same thing Melinda had. After a while, he finally said, "If you'd acted like she did, I would've noticed something was up a long time ago."

Klaud raised her eyebrows, and Noise and Lenalee both laughed.

"No one act like Genewal Nyne," Lenalee said wisely, reaching up to grab Melinda's hand again. "That why Cwoss like hew."

"That man," Klaud muttered, distaste clear in her voice, and an amused look flashed across Melinda's face. She wondered, briefly, who this 'Cross' was, but then Klaud looked at Lenalee and then at her.

"Are you Lenalee's mother?" she asked her, direct and businesslike. Melinda nodded.

"I am."

Klaud smiled briefly. "Good. She needs one." She looked down and smirked at Lenalee's indignant noise. "Don't deny it, Lenalee. God knows Jerry and Komui tried their best, but with everything that happened…" Her eyes flickered up. "Well. That's what you wanted with us, isn't it?"

It took Melinda a moment to figure out to what she was referring, and Coulson got it before she did.

"Yes, actually. If you don't mind getting into it now."

Lenalee twisted to look at Coulson, making a small sound of confusion. All traces of levity vanished from Melinda's expression, leaving only a grim frown. Noise frowned, too, not quite there yet.

Mack scowled. "I still think this isn't the best time to be getting into it," he muttered.

"Duly noted," Coulson demured. Melinda's mouth tightened. "Lenalee, I apologize for not mentioning this sooner." Melinda felt Lenalee's hand tighten in hers. "Part of the reason I asked you two-" He nodded to Noise, who was gaining a look of suspicious comprehension, and Klaud, grim-faced and resigned. "-to be here at the same time was to ask you about something Lenalee brought up the other day."

"I thought so," Klaud sighed, crossing her arms and shaking her head. Simmons, who hadn't been informed, rounded on Coulson, wide-eyed and faintly alarmed.

"Sir?"

"She mentioned the war, didn't she?" Klaud asked without acknowledging her sister's question, disapproval in the lines of her face. Coulson nodded once.

"Yes, she did. And as you can imagine…" His face grew a little grimmer. "We have a few questions."

The effect on the three former exorcists was profound. Lenalee inhaled sharply, ducking her head to hide her expression. Noise's easy smile dropped away, and a shadow entered his eyes. The corners of Klaud's eyes tightened, but she nodded.

"Business as usual," she said, with a slightly colder smile. "SHIELD just can't leave well enough alone."

Coulson inclined his head slightly, and Melinda knew him well enough to know that his next words were completely genuine. "I apologize. I know the memories are…" His gaze flicked to Lenalee. "Less than fond."

Noise shrugged, offering a slightly forced smile. "There were good times," he told them. "But we won't be talking about those much."

Mack's gaze focused on him, studying him with that same, slightly worried frown, and he shook his head. "Don't expect so."

"Lenalee?" Melinda prodded in a low voice; Lenalee still hadn't lifted her head, but she had a death grip on Melinda's hand.

"Don' wanna talk 'bout it," Lenalee croaked, sounding one step from tears.

Melinda sobered instantly. "I know, baby girl. I'm sorry." The questions still burned and swirled in her mind, pressing and screaming and boiling in panic.

Melinda would prefer to respect Lenalee's boundaries, and with her slightly older mindset, it was even more important. Unfortunately, in this case, she was pretty sure that what Lenalee wanted was not what was best for her. (Melinda had certainly made similar mistakes enough times.)

Melinda clung to the hope that if Lenalee talked about it, she would be able to help her daughter through it. Whatever _it_ turned out to be.

Without a second thought, Melinda bent down to scoop Lenalee into the air, and Lenalee buried her face in Melinda's shoulder, sniffling quietly. When she glanced up, Noise was looking at her with a solemn expression, but then he looked away again.

"If you all don't mind, let's head inside now," Coulson offered, a little more seriously. Klaud scoffed quietly, but she, too, nodded, and with Melinda tucking Lenalee a little closer, they headed in.

Noise dropped back beside her, giving Lenalee a visibly concerned look. Lenalee turned her head and gave him a weak smile. Noise smiled back, but his next words were to Melinda.

"You really care about her, don't you?"

Lenalee blinked, then blushed brightly and hid her face away. Melinda frowned and considered feeling offended.

"Of course I do," she said, stiffer than she originally intended. "She _is_ my daughter."

"I didn't mean anything by it," he said hastily, with an apologetic smile. "I'm just glad, is all. She had her brother before, and he loved her more than life itself, but the way things were, he couldn't really take care of her. And I think you will."

She frowned at him for a long moment, but he never broke his gaze. After a while, she looked to the front again. "I will."

She felt Lenalee's fist tighten in her shirt, and tightened her own grip a little in response. _Of course I will._

Noise was distracted once they entered the Playground, looking around with interest. He jogged forward to reach Mack and pestered him until the older man rolled his eyes and started to point out each room as they passed. Simmons, much more eagerly, was doing the same thing for Klaud.

Melinda was left at the back of the group, carrying Lenalee, who still looked discontented enough not to go on her own. "You can do this, baby girl," she said quietly. "You're stronger than your demons."

Lenalee looked up at her and smiled softly. "Okay," she said, matching her mother's tone.

Simmons broke off before they reached the meeting room with a wave to Klaud and a nod to the rest, accompanied by a brighter smile than she'd sported in months. Mack followed after checking in with Noise, who waved him off with an amused, fond smile.

Melinda, on the other hand, accompanied them the rest of the way to the room Coulson had arranged for earlier, and only when they were inside did she set Lenalee down on the edge of the table. She crouched slightly so that her eyes were level with Lenalee's and gave her a serious look. Lenalee tilted her head slightly and gave her a serious look back, though it was a little more comical on her face.

"I'll have to leave you here," Melinda told her quietly, and Lenalee turned a little more solemn. "It will be just Phil and your friends here, understand? If anyone else comes in-" She shot Coulson a sharp look, and he raised his hands in surrender. "-then you don't have to talk. I'll be watching everything from another room, and you can stop anytime you want, but we need you to keep going for as long as you can. Okay?"

Lenalee had grown steadily more uncertain the longer she talked, and she was looking at her feet now, which dangled off the edge of the table. "Okay."

"Thank you, baby girl," Melinda said tiredly, pressing a brief kiss to her forehead before she left.

That left Coulson, Noise, and Klaud with Lenalee in the room. It was well-lit, with a very visible camera in the corner, probably more set at other angles, and a smooth table at the center, which they were all seated around. There was a chair for Lenalee on one side, but she turned around and decided to remain on the tabletop instead, not liking the idea of a height disadvantage right now - bad enough that she was a fraction of her friends' size.

Coulson cleared his throat; that distracted the three exorcists, Lenalee gazing at the closed door pensively, and Noise staring thoughtfully at her, while Klaud studied both of them, frowning.

"Alright then," he said lightly, setting a recorder down the same way he had when he first spoke to Lenalee about her past. She eyed it for a moment, looked up to see Klaud giving it a sharp look, and then looked back at Coulson, who looked more serious than she had perhaps ever seen him. "Let's get started."

Klaud inclined her head slightly in agreement, and Noise shifted a little nearer to Lenalee, visibly concerned but with the same beyond-his-years seriousness. Lenalee drew her legs to her chest and set her chin on her knees, looking weary and unsettled.

Coulson leaned forward, forcing himself to relax, treating this with the same seriousness the exorcists were giving it. "Lenalee mentioned a war. Who were you fighting for, and who against?"

All three looked at each other, having a silent discussion with their eyes. Finally, Klaud took the lead.

"A man called the Millennium Earl," she said at last, voice crisp and businesslike, but not quite able to hide the dislike and disgust in her eyes. "He was the head of a family called the Clan of Noah, who in turn directed an army of creatures known as akuma."

"Akuma?" Coulson questioned. "So you weren't fighting humans."

"Not most of the time," Lenalee said softly, but that was apparently all she had to say about that; Noise took over for her.

"There were fourteen Noah in the world. They weren't human in the ordinary sense of the word; here, they would've been called metahumans." Noise wasn't sad or scared, like Lenalee, or resentful, like Klaud, but resigned and weary. "They had…" He grimaced. "A lot of abilities, but the most important one here is that they were very difficult to kill and, once they _were_ killed, for a long time, they would just reincarnate in the body of a different human." At Coulson's sharp look, he tacked on, "It's different from how we do it. Do you really want the whole story?"

Coulson considered. "Is it still a possibility?" All three of them shook their heads. "Then it can wait. What are akuma?"

"Weapons of massacew," Lenalee offered without looking at any of them. And then, when this clearly wasn't enough, "Akuma awe weapons made by the Eawl ou' of a soul an' a machine." She shrugged. "Allen could tell you mowe."

"When someone died, the Earl would come to them as they mourned and offer to bring the dead man back," Noise expanded, gaze fixed on Coulson's suddenly startled one. "The mourner would call for their loved one, and the Earl would bring their soul into a machine, and then order them to attack the mourner and take their skin." He hesitated, swallowed, and continued. Coulson was suddenly pale, but didn't break his gaze. "The result was a creature that could blend in perfectly with humans, but transform in an instant into a 'weapon of massacre'."

"The thing about akuma," Klaud picked up, when Coulson seemed unprepared to prompt them further, "was that they could only be destroyed by the substance called Innocence."

Coulson's mouth was dry, but he still managed to speak. "The same thing Lenalee suggested let you reincarnate."

Klaud nodded. "It seems likely. Now, there were only a hundred and nine pieces of Innocence in our world. Here, it depends on how many of us reincarnated."

Coulson looked up sharply. "You make it sound like they're different places."

Now it was Klaud's turn to look surprised; Noise did as well. "Didn't Lenalee tell you?"

Coulson looked at Lenalee, but the little girl looked just as confused, tilting her head at the two older exorcists.

"What?" Lenalee asked plaintively.

Klaud was frowning. "We're probably in a different world altogether. Actually, we almost certainly are." At Lenalee's blank look, she continued, "Japan was never destroyed, Lenalee."

Lenalee's eyes went wide, and she looked to Coulson for confirmation. At his slow nod, she seemed to wait to process that for a moment, and then a bright smile crossed her face.

Coulson did not feel like smiling.

"Are you telling me," he said slowly, almost forgetting himself in the cold in his chest, "that your war got so bad that an _entire country_ was obliterated?"

"The Eawl want t'use it as a base," Lenalee explained.

Taking pity on Coulson, Noise said, "Akuma come in four levels which get exponentially more powerful; they gain levels by-"

"Killing," Coulson guessed with a sigh. Noise smiled.

"Now you're getting it," he chuckled, humorless and dry.

"I don't think I'll be adding your world to my list of vacation spots," Coulson told him.

"That's a shame." Noise's dry smile softened a little. "Going against the Noah and the akuma was the Black Order; of the Order, only the exorcists could fight, and there weren't that many of us."

Coulson frowned. "A hundred and nine?" That didn't sound like very many.

A soft, slightly hysterical giggle escaped Lenalee's chest and she closed her eyes, pressing her forehead to her knees.

"Fourteen at the end of the war," Klaud corrected, casting Lenalee a sharp, if sympathetic, look. "In the twenty-one years I spent at the Order, we never had more than twenty-five at any given time."

Coulson flinched visibly.

Noise looked sympathetic to his plight. Coulson felt his sympathy was misdirected. "Because of the shortage of exorcists, the Order did pretty much anything in their power to keep them." A shadow passed behind his eyes. "That included some… pretty extreme things that we probably shouldn't get into right now."

Wait. Coulson should have a problem with that. Before he could find his voice, Noise barrelled along and distracted him.

"In more normal circumstances, they were recruited as soon as they were found, usually soon after activation. I was nineteen years old when I was found by the Order; my family was killed in the akuma attack that helped me activate." Despite having shown a lot of unbridled affection for Mack earlier, there was still a shadow of grief in his eyes for the family he'd once had.

"How many akuma were there in the world?" Coulson asked, and tried not to wonder how old Lenalee, who'd been nineteen when she _died,_ had been when she was recruited.

Noise shrugged. "Thousands. Tens, hundreds of thousands, maybe, and more were made every day. After all, people are always dying, and when people die, that's more people at risk for a visit from the Earl."

"Make no mistake, Director," Klaud interrupted, before Coulson could react to that. "Like your war with HYDRA, this was a war for the world. Unlike it, the Earl's only goal was to exterminate all of humanity."

Coulson had to close his eyes for a moment. "God," he whispered hoarsely.

The exorcists seemed to find that funny for some reason.

When he opened his eyes again, he asked, "Age range?" It was about as much as he could bring himself to say.

For the first time, Klaud grimaced, looking as guilty and haunted as Lenalee ever had. It was gone a second later. "Until Lenalee came, I believe the youngest I'd ever known was sixteen." Coulson just looked at her, and Klaud took a deep breath. But Lenalee spoke first.

"Six," she whispered, almost too quiet to hear. Coulson stopped breathing. "I was an exowcist fo fiwteen yeaws. Dey foun' me when akuma killed mos' of my family, and dey kept me thewe." She took a deep shuddering breath and let it out with a shaky smile and too-bright eyes. "I twied to wun and dey… dey set a watch on me."

Her voice heightened in pitch with each word, but she wasn't crying. Tears were falling unchecked from her eyes, but she wasn't crying. She was laughing. In fact, she was laughing so hard she could barely speak, without ever lifting her head from her knees.

"I was so scawed, who's scawed of level one akuma? I was stupid." She reached up, fisting tiny fingers in her hair, eyes squeezed shut and shaking, and not just from the laughter. "You can' wun fwom the Owdew. An' you shouldn', eithew, 'cause we had t'save the wowld. They say so. We had to save the wowld 'cause we the only ones tha' could. An' we had to, no mattew what. No mattew how many times- How many fweinds-"

Laughing turned into crying, hysterical tears that filled the room and bounced accusingly off the walls, taking Coulson's breath away. Noise looked startled and guilty, and from what little she let slip, Coulson gathered that Klaud felt the same. God knows he did.

_Too soon. Far too soon._

Coulson wasn't necessarily very good at comforting people, especially not children, but even with him not exactly being the first choice to look after Lenalee, he'd taken the job a few times; every one of the senior agents had, though Simmons had only ever done it with Fitz. Because of that, all of them had learned how to calm her from a nightmare.

Coulson figured this qualified.

He stood up quickly, accidentally knocking the recorder onto the ground. He didn't bother picking it up before hurrying over to Lenalee, who'd given up on words now in favor of crying with increasing volume. Noise made a false start forward, but made way for Coulson when he noticed him coming; Klaud didn't even try, only looking away to hide her expression.

"It's okay, you're okay, I've got you," he promised the little girl, scooping her up to where she could cling to his shirt, soaking it with tears. "I've got you, I'm not letting go, just breathe, Lenalee, you're okay. You're okay."

He continued saying this, and things to this effect, until Lenalee started to quiet. Wails turned to sobs, sobs to whimpers, and then whimpers to sniffles. Noise and Klaud kept quiet and away, both equally uncomfortable, and Coulson felt pretty unsteady himself.

He wondered how Melinda was doing.

"You okay now?" he asked when he deemed her calm enough.

Lenalee sniffled and didn't look up. "Sowwy," she whispered. Color was spreading across her face, and she wasn't looking at her friends, clearly ashamed.

"Don't be," Coulson said instantly, and he glanced up at the two of them. "If you want, we can continue this when I get back, or at a later date…"

Noise closed his eyes and shuddered a little, grimacing, and Klaud said tiredly, not looking at Coulson or Lenalee, "Another time would… probably be for the best." She smiled bitterly. "I need to talk to my sister, anyway."

Noise nodded in agreement, and Coulson smiled tensely.

"Then I'll take Lenalee to her mother." Who was probably having a bit of a panic attack herself right now. "I assume I'll see both of you around?"

"Count on it," Noise promised, raising his voice slightly, as if to make sure Lenalee heard him. She looked over and gave him a weak smile, and he returned it with a softer, comforting one. Klaud just shrugged.

"Sowwy," Lenalee repeated once they were out, leaning her head against his shoulder. He sighed.

"Don't be, Lee-Lee, I shouldn't have pushed." So it was a damn shame that it was his job to push. Why had he agreed to this, again?

She 'mm'ed, and her head lolled. When he glanced down, he saw her blinking up at him sleepily, face still traced with tear tracks and eyes still swollen and red. "Did I scawe Mommy?"

"Probably," Coulson admitted honestly, speeding up a little. "But don't worry. Your mother's strong, and she'd rather know this than not know it."

"Oh," Lenalee murmured, eyes falling shut. "Okay."

Within moments, she'd fallen asleep in his arms, and he sighed again, feeling a weight on his shoulders that was much greater than Lenalee's.

In the room, eyes wide with badly repressed panic and hands visibly shaking, Melinda was seated in a chair, tense as a live wire. As soon as the door opened, Melinda was up and halfway across the room, and Coulson gave up Lenalee without a fight.

Melinda's grip was tight but gentle, clutching Lenalee to herself like a lifeline, eyes shut tight against her own emotions, even as they shuddered along every line of her body. Coulson watched solemnly, feeling older than he had in years.

When she finally spoke, it was to choke out, "I don't know if I can do this."

"It'll be hard," Coulson said quietly. "But I know you can."

"Phil- Coulson-" She opened her eyes to glare at him. The panic hadn't vanished. "She needs someone who, who…" Who was better with emotions, who didn't have so many problems of her own, who wasn't an agent for a technically illegal organization- just for a start.

"She needs _you,"_ Coulson corrected.

"...I'll put her to bed." Melinda turned away abruptly, movement jerky and uncharacteristically uncoordinated. Lenalee didn't even stir. "We'll… we'll talk about this. Later."

"You and me?" Coulson wondered dubiously. "Or you and Lenalee?"

"...Both."

Fair enough.

* * *

"That bad?" Mack asked as soon as Noise slunk into the room, and Noise gave him a weary grin.

"That bad," he confirmed, sitting down heavily on the couch beside his brother. The smile vanished, and he looked away and admitted, hand rising to the back of his neck, "Lenalee broke down; we had to stop early." A small frown twisted his lips. Eyes averted, he didn't notice Mack's sharp gaze on him. "I've never seen her like that."

"She's just a toddler," Mack pointed out, tone neutral.

Noise's hand fell away, and he smiled wryly. "She is, isn't she?" He shook his head with a small laugh. Without being asked, he admitted, "I haven't thought about any of this stuff in years. It was harder than I thought it'd be." He flashed his brother a slightly pained grin. "Thought I'd gotten over it."

Mack gave Noise a slightly nasty glare. "Yeah, well maybe if you'd shared _earlier,_ you wouldn't have spent fifteen years bottling up all sorts of bullshit, and then I wouldn't have to sound like a goddamned SHIELD counselor."

"Yes, okay, okay, I get it," Noise laughed, grinning at Mack, who didn't let up. "I'm sorry."

"Damn straight," Mack grumbled, but eventually he sighed and slapped Noise on the shoulder, squeezing it gently. "Don't do it again, you hear?"

Noise gave his brother a small, affectionate smile. "I hear," he agreed, faintly amused.

"Good!" Mack removed his hand and set it on his knee, leaning forward slightly, intent. Noise frowned. "Now, what's this about your _eyes?"_

Noise made a face and complained, "You're really going to make me do this _more?"_ Surprise and a hint of guilt flashed across Mack's face, which Noise didn't notice before he smiled ruefully and gestured to his eyes. "It's not that important anymore; my eyes were permanently damaged in a fight some ten, eleven years before I died. I was blind for the rest of my life, but it was healed with the rest of my injuries when I reincarnated." With a playful smirk, he held up one of his hands in a peace sign and added, "I got my fingers back, too."

Mack stared at him, and then covered his face with a groan. "Great. You're just gonna be heaps of trouble, aren't you?"

Noise shrugged and offered his brother a grin. "Sorry."

"Yeah, sure," Mack muttered. "Sorry, my _ass."_

* * *

"Oh!" Simmons stood up straight as soon as Klaud entered the lab, eyes lighting right up. They turned concerned, though, as soon as she took in Klaud's tired demeanor. "Oh, dear, what happened?"

Fitz was elsewhere at the moment, so it was just the two of them in the lab when Simmons tugged Klaud over to a chair and sat her down in it, then pulled another over so she could place herself in front of her (younger?) sister.

Klaud sighed and leaned back slightly, fixing her eyes on the ceiling. "It was a hard conversation, that's all. Don't worry about it, Jemma."

"Oh…" Simmons smiled bashfully. "You know I always worry."

Klaud shook with a short, quiet laugh. "Yes, that's true." She stretched and returned her gaze to Simmons, soft and fond. After studying her sister for a few moments, she finally admitted, gaze sliding away in a rare moment of vulnerability, "I'm disappointed in myself. It should have occurred to me to keep Director Coulson away from the memories that would be most harsh for Lenalee."

Simmons inhaled sharply, and Klaud was abruptly reminded that Jemma had known the little girl since she was a baby, at least this time around. "Oh, no, what happened?"

Klaud smiled bitterly. "What do you think? She had a breakdown." Simmons' eyes widened and she half-rose, but Klaud raised a hand to stop her. "No, no, she's fine now, stay here. Coulson took her to Agent May. Besides." She raised an eyebrow. "She wouldn't welcome your company, would she?"

Simmons' eyes widened slightly, travelling to Klaud's. "How…?"

"Most of the upper administration of the Order had it out for the exorcists," Klaud explained, allowing a grim look to line her features, Simmons' eyes fixed on hers. "Lenalee, I believe, came to associate most humans with those sorts of people, and the ones you would call 'metahumans' as friends."

Simmons blew out a short, dizzy breath. "...Oh."

Klaud's smile softened slightly. "Don't worry. She'll get used to you." She reached out and tugged gently at Simmons' hair, making her squeak in protest. "You're a very lovable person, Jemma. Just be yourself around her and you'll be fine."

Simmons stared at her for a long moment, and then she smiled, relieved of cares she'd barely realized she had. "Thank you, Klaud."

"Anytime."

* * *

When Lenalee woke up, it was dark outside. The glow of a screen lit the room with dim light, and she rolled over to see Melinda working intently with a laptop, the blue glow casting her features in harsh light.

Her mouth felt dry and her face sticky, her eyes sore. "Mommy?"

Melinda looked up sharply at the call. On meeting her eyes, she quickly set the laptop aside and, half a second later, was heading toward her briskly before she crouched beside the toddler's bed, eyes intent. "Yes, baby girl?"

Lenalee squinted slightly and reached up to rub at her eyes, pushing herself up. "What-" She stopped as her memory rushed back, reminding her what had transpired in the meeting room, and instead of finished, she reached forward.

Melinda took the signal for what it was and picked her up, carrying her back to the bed, where she sat with her back to the headboard and Lenalee in her lap. "Are you better now?" she asked. Lenalee couldn't read all of the emotion in her eyes, but a lot of it was worry, which made Lenalee's chest twinge guiltily.

She nodded. "Yeah," she said in a small voice.

"Are you okay with talking about it?" Melinda asked her, serious again.

Lenalee flinched a little, and then bit her lip as she thought about it.

It had hurt to talk about it, but… it was more acknowledgement than she'd willingly given a lot of those events for the past two years. And it had felt awful.

But, now, it felt a little better than it had _before_ she'd talked about it.

She held up her hand with her thumb and her forefinger just a millimeter apart, and a small, affectionate smile flashed across Melinda's face.

"Alright, we'll just talk a little, then," she agreed readily enough, smoothing Lenalee's hair down. "Do you want to talk, or do you want me to ask questions."

Lenalee gazed at her for a moment, uncertain and worried, and finally, glanced down to the bedsheets. "Imma talk," she decided, crossing her arms against her chest in a blatantly insecure gesture.

Melinda gave a small hum of understanding and waited patiently, and after a few moments, Lenalee started, still not looking at Melinda but leaning her head against her.

"The Owdew foun' me when I was six, and dey took me 'way den. Dey gave me some twaining and den dey stawted sendin' me on missions, 'cause dere wewen' many exowcists. I was scawed an' I didn' wanna, and I stawting twyin' t'wun, but it didn' wowk, dey didn' let me." She shrugged, with more defeat in her demeanor now than naked fear. "'Ventually it go' so bad dey tied me down." Melinda's arms tightened, and Melinda inhaled sharply. Lenalee still didn't look at her. "Den my bwothew came.

"Komui looked fo me fwom the time dey took me to the time he foun' me, twee yeaws. He 'came chief of the Owdew den an' it got bettew, but I nevew fowgot." She looked up at Melinda anxiously, seeing her tight expression, carefully controlled. "Akuma awe scawy; a lot of people die fighting dem. I tought I'd be one-a dem fo a long time, but…" She managed a small smirk. "I was too fast."

Melinda managed a smile for her, which reassured Lenalee even with how forced it looked; she could still see the fear and the worry in Melinda's eyes. "Of course you were, little bug. It would take more than that-" She poked Lenalee in the stomach. "To take a strong girl like you down."

"Mm-hm!" Lenalee agreed, perking up a little. "Noting catch me!"

Melinda smirked, but it fell quickly. "I do have one question for you. Your legs? Noise mentioned that last he saw you, you couldn't walk."

Lenalee's smile faltered, and she deflated again, frowning.

 _Bastard,_ she thought spitefully, thinking of long hair and a gleaming white leer.

Outwardly, she shrugged. "Bad fight," she dismissed, feeling tiredness swamp over her all over again. "One of the Noah, Shewyl, he an' I fought - thewe was bad blood, see-" -Lavi's blood, in fact- "and we both came off bad. It huwt to walk, after that, an' my legs wewen't stwong." She caught Melinda's worried look and flashed her a confident smirk, trying to ease it. "But _he_ came off wowse."

"Did he, now," Melinda murmured, studying her with a frown Lenalee didn't like. Her smirk vanished and she ducked her head - for a moment, she'd forgotten she was two years old, that that kind of history was strange even for someone her real age.

She'd forgotten that she really didn't want her mother to know what she'd done to Sheryl.

Thankfully, though, Melinda left it alone. "It's late, baby girl, you should go to sleep. But don't forget, you can always talk to me, okay?"

She nodded quickly. "'Kay!" she chirped, squirming off Melinda's lap to hurry back to her bed. She rolled into it, and despite her earlier nap, exhaustion claimed her almost instantly, while Melinda rose to shut the computer and put it away, plunging the room into darkness.

Lenalee's last thought before she went to sleep was that she was glad to have a Mommy that could handle _anything._

Melinda, on the other hand… As soon as she was sure that Lenalee was asleep, she sat down on the bed, buried her face in her hands, and cried, silent and frustrated.


	30. Fighting Words

It was two in the morning when the officer came.

It was deceptive, and it was dirty. Officer Kirkman wasn’t fond of the procedure, but orders were orders. Even orders to detain one of the city’s heroes.

The front door easily fell to a lock-pick, and to his surprise, no alarm went off, which struck him as disturbing, considering Avengers Tower’s reputation for security.

In fact, he made it all the way to the floor he’d been directed to before he was interrupted, met by no one less than Tony Stark himself, clad in pajamas and arms crossed, expression deadly.

“And what’s a fine officer like yourself doing here in the middle of the night?” the billionaire asked quietly.

Kirkman took a deep breath and held out his badge and a folded paper. “NYPD,” he explained, sounding braver than he felt. “I have an arrest warrant for James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier.”

Stark smiled. “And it couldn’t wait ‘til morning?”

Officer Kirkman tucked his badge away and tried not to think too hard about that. “Afraid not. If you don’t let me pass, you’re obstructing me, and I’m sure you’re aware, Mr. Stark, that most of your team is on thin ice already.”

Stark’s cold smile never wavered, and he didn’t move. “Most?”

The sound of footsteps on the stairwell made Kirkman wince, and what looked to be the rest of the team piled in. Mentally, he prayed that his instincts were right, and none of them would try to resist physically. He was only human; he’d be dead in seconds.

Captain America was down first, followed by the Black Widow. Right after them was the Vision and the Scarlet Witch, and then War Machine and Falcon. Ant-Man appeared out of the hallway, followed by the man he was sent to arrest.

“What’s going on here?” Captain America demanded, sounding worried and more than a little disapproving.

“I’ve been sent to arrest the Winter Soldier,” Kirkman explained, wincing again at the wide-eyed, almost frightened expression that overtook Captain America’s face. “Please let me through.”

“No!”

The little voice made him look down, drawing his attention to the children he’d missed before - a little redheaded boy he recognized as Stark’s son, a white-haired toddler with a horrific scar on his face who clung to the redhead, looking anxious, and the one who’d spoken - a little boy about the same age as Stark’s son with long black hair, glaring up at him stubbornly.

“You can’t have him!” the boy snapped, crossing his arms angrily.

Kirkman stared at him. “Who are you?”

“He’s Bucky’s son,” Sam explained, moving forward so that he was between Kirkman and the boy, who made an indignant noise but shuffled closer to his father with an almost protective and _definitely_ defensive stance. “Look, you’ve got a list of charges, right? What are they?”

“International terrorism, for a start,” Kirkman replied, as dry as he could manage with that little boy still glaring up at him like he was the worst villain in the world. “Murder, sabotage, kidnapping-” He glanced down at the little boy again.

“All committed under the control of HYDRA,” the Black Widow interrupted, sweeping around Captain America to give him a cold look. “I believe the technical term is ‘automatism’; none of it was his fault.”

“That’s a matter to be discussed in court, ma’am,” Kirkman said politely, though he didn’t move from his spot, not daring to even draw his gun; the Scarlet Witch was eying him like she was getting funny ideas about her powers. “In the meantime, you are obstructing justice. I need you to let me pass.”

“He poses no risk to anyone,” the Vision tried to persuade him, looking anxious. “I assure you, he’s quite harmless to citizens now that he is no longer under HYDRA’s control.”

“I know,” Kirkman assured them. “I’m afraid that doesn’t absolve him of responsibility for past crimes. I apologize.” _Please don’t kill me, I have a wife, I have a son, too._

“You’re not sorry,” the little redheaded boy said bitterly, breaking away from the younger white-haired one to stand by the aggressive, shaking mini-assassin.

“Lavi,” Stark said sharply, and the boy fell silent, frowning at the ground with his hands clasped behind his back, keeping one eye on Kirkman and the other on his friend.

The littlest boy wobbled over to stand in front of Kirkman, tipping his head way back to look at him, silver eyes big and swimming with tears, one arm clutched tight to his chest. “You takin’ Bucky ‘way?” he whispered, just loud enough for Kirkman to hear.

Kirkman took another deep breath and crouched down in front of him, and the boy took a hasty step back that nearly back him fall over. “I am. Sometimes I have to take people away so other people can be safe, and we think that Bucky may be one of those people, so we have to, just in case, okay?”

The boy made a small, frightened sound and shook his head, stepping back. The tears started to spill down his cheeks. “No. Not. He not. Leave him _‘lone._ ”

Kirkman sighed and straightened up uncomfortably. The Winter Soldier hadn’t spoken yet, standing back, staring at him with dark, judgemental eyes.

“Calm down, Allen,” Captain America said soothingly, not taking his eyes off Kirkman. “Officer, surely there’s something we can do that would let Bucky stay with his son?”

“I’m afraid not,” Kirkman said, forcing himself not to react to the shrill squeak of the oldest boy. “As it is, Mr. Stark only barely managed to talk the government out of having the three of you-” He nodded first to the Black Widow, then to Ant-Man, and then Captain America. “-arrested as well. Count yourselves lucky.”

He regretted the last words almost as soon as he’d said them; the toddler let out a hoarse whimper and bolted to the Black Widow, plastering himself to her leg and giving Kirkman a frightened look like he’d try to take her away, tears spilling unchecked down his cheeks. Kirkman swallowed.

The Winter Soldier took a deep breath. “Scott.” Ant-Man, who’d been watching the proceedings silently with a furrowed, worried brow, looked at him questioningly. “Pick up Yuu. Please.”

The assassin’s son, who must be Yuu, whirled around, eyes widening. “B-bear?” Ant-Man bent down and picked him up, and the boy instantly started to struggle, tears welling up in his eyes as well. “Bear! No! Don’t go!”

The Soldier looked to be in physical pain, and Kirkman looked away as he moved to crouch slightly in front of Ant-Man to look in the boy’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Yuu. Do you remember what we talked about?”

Yuu’s breath hitched. “Y-yeah.”

“Good.” The ominous man smiled, painful and gentle. “Take care, Yuu. Be strong.”

The little boy’s breath hitched again, and tears started to fall. “No! _No!”_ His struggles restarted manifold, and Ant-Man grunted as the Soldier straightened up and moved past Captain America to get to Kirkman.

The Captain stopped him for a brief moment, murmuring something in his ear that Kirkman couldn’t make out. Whatever it was, the Soldier’s expression softened with something like relief, and he nodded, and then moved past him.

The redhead and the toddler were both crying, and Yuu was screaming, pushing against Ant-Man’s arms, chanting ‘no’ over and over. Kirkman didn’t look at any of them, instead moving to the Soldier’s back and handcuffing his wrists behind him.

“You have the right to remain silent,” he told him, following protocol like his life depended on it. “Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney-” He glanced at Stark, who was carefully cradling his sobbing son against him, giving him a glare of death. “-one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?”

“Yes,” rasped the Winter Soldier, also not looking at his son. “I understand.”

Kirkman pushed the Soldier carefully, leading him toward the stairwell - as he understood it, the elevator was sentient, and considering his current mission, he didn’t trust it.

“Bear! Bear!”

A hand caught Kirkman’s shoulder, and he stopped to look at War Machine’s shark-toothed smile.

“Listen, _officer._ If any of us hear about any _accidents_ on the way their or in jail, it’s not gonna be pleasant for any of us.” He raised an eyebrow. “Understand.”

Kirkman swallowed numbly. “I understand.”

“Glad we’re on the same page.” War Machine let go of his shoulder and clapped him on the back to signal that he was free to go, hard enough to make Kirkman wince.

“Bear! _Dad!”_

Kirkman glanced over his shoulder to see Yuu, stretching one hand out desperately and face streaked with tears.

_“DAD!”_

“Bucky!”

Captain America’s call made them both pause again. The Winter Soldier didn’t look back, and neither did Kirkman.

“We’ll bring you back, okay? We won’t leave you there.”

The Winter Soldier hesitated, and when he spoke, his voice was rough and raw with emotion. “Thanks, Stevie.”

Suddenly, Kirkman felt compelled to tell them what little he knew. “Captain - there’s going to be a visit from CPS soon. Probably within the next few weeks.”

Kirkman heard a quiet, frustrated curse from behind him, and then they went down the stairs.

The Soldier didn’t say another word.

After the officer left, there was no calming the hysterical children. Eventually, the Avengers assembled in the lounge with piles of blankets and pillows, in an attempt to calm the children while simultaneously beginning to make their plans.

Forty-five minutes later, Allen, still sniffling, was clinging just as tightly to Natasha as when the officer left. Yuu had exhausted himself and had his face buried in his stuffed bear, refusing to acknowledge anyone, and Lavi’s head was lolling against Tony’s leg, face scrunched up but clearly exhausted.

The Avengers talked deep into the earliest hours of the morning, going over every iteration of every plan they could think of, and didn’t move until they, too, were asleep, passed out in uncomfortable positions all over the room, papers with plans scattered around them.

Three days after Bucky was taken away, Yuu was sitting in the hallway, listening to Rhodey and Wanda yelling behind the closed door, with Sam trying and failing to mediate. His teddy bear, Mew, was sitting in his lap, and he was scowling bitterly, eyes burning.

They were fighting about the bear again; Wanda was saying it was Tony’s fault, and Rhodey was flaying her alive for it. Yuu sort of blamed Tony too, except he knew it wasn’t his fault. Not really.

Kanda hadn’t been able to sleep anywhere but in Bucky’s room recently; he wouldn’t let anyone take him anywhere else, so he was left alone to curl up in the middle of the big bed, trying not to cry because crying was stupid.

He missed Bucky.

It was hard to eat; he wasn’t hungry anymore, and he was distracted. For reasons beyond even his understanding, he took Mew everywhere with him now, squeezing him like a lifeline.

Lavi had already tried to come and get him to stop listening to the adults argue once, about ten minutes ago; Kanda had punched him in the face and he hadn’t come back.

Soft footsteps made him look up with a fearsome scowl and the unwanted threat of tears, but it wasn’t Lavi this time. It was Allen, face solemn and sad, arms around himself in a defensive position he’d taken often lately.

“Yuu,” he said softly, untucking his arms to hold out his right hand coaxingly. “Le’s go.”

Yuu growled angrily at the smaller boy and nearly, _nearly,_ lashed out at him as he had Lavi.

One look at the vulnerable expression on the boy’s still-thin face made Kanda stop short, and he gritted his teeth. “Fine,” he muttered bitterly.

Allen smiled at him sadly and grasped his elbow, and Kanda allowed himself to be led toward the elevator.

“FWIDAY,” Allen called out to the ceiling, high voice soft and quiet. “Ca’ we see Peppew, pwease?”

“Certainly, Allen,” FRIDAY said obediently, and the elevator started to move.

“The fuck we seeing Pepper for?” Kanda muttered, and Allen shrugged.

“Lafi feel bettew when he see hew,” he offered.

“Pepper’s his _mom,”_ Kanda snapped, but he didn’t make any move to change their course.

Pepper was busy, as usual, but she looked up and smiled at them tiredly when they came in, placing down her pad and rubbing at one eye before she rolled the chair back. “Allen, Yuu. It’s good to see you.” Her smile faded at Kanda’s grumpy, tremulous expression and Allen’s troubled one. “What’s wrong?”

“Sprout’s upset,” Kanda announced, like he wasn’t twice as much so.

Pepper’s expression softened and she knelt down in front of them. Both of them were reluctant to move closer, but she ruffled Allen’s hair and then moved her hand to clasp Kanda’s shoulder reassuringly, smiling gently.

“Tony’s doing his best,” she reassured them, keeping her voice low. “I promise, he’s doing everything he can to bring Bucky back to us.”

Kanda bit his lip and looked down, scowling.

“Sometime youw bes’ isn’ good ‘nough,” Allen pointed out quietly, tremulous and worried.

Pepper’s smile fell. “You’re right,” she agreed heavily. “And I can’t make any promises; I’m sure you know that. But we’re trying. I promise we’re trying.”

Allen bit his lip, and then he let go of Kanda’s elbow to step forward and hug Pepper for a short moment. He stepped back quickly, but Pepper was smiling again, if slightly tearfully.

“It be ‘kay,” Allen told her, even though he was still clearly scared himself. It was enough to make Pepper’s smile a little more sincere.

“Do you two want to stay with me for a while?” she asked them. “I have to work, but I promise I won’t let anyone fight where we can hear them.”

Kanda crossed his arms. “Just ‘cause we can’t hear them doesn’t mean they’re not fighting,” he muttered. Pepper waited. He sighed and nodded, looking almost ashamed.

She smiled, and a few minutes later, they were all settled at her desk - Pepper back in her chair with Allen on her lap, and Kanda seated on the desk, watching halfheartedly.

In the corner of the living room, Lavi and Allen (mostly Lavi) had set up a couple of wooden chairs, cast over with a thick, fluffy brown blanket, to act as a blanket fort.

It had been Lavi’s idea; they needed to be able to talk alone for a while, and this created at least the illusion of privacy, and let them see anyone else (or the shadows of anyone else, at least) before their voices became distinct to that person’s ears. It was perfect, Lavi insisted.

So they set it up and crawled in. It was warm in there, and sort of dark, but they could sit up and talk freely, and that was a relief.

“So,” Lavi said casually, leaning back on his hands with a childishly raised eyebrow. “How’s life?”

Allen wrinkled his nose at him, and Lavi grinned. It quickly fell away as he rocked forward so he was sitting cross-legged, hands plopped into his lap, more serious now.

“You can’t keep doing this,” Lavi said without any sort of preamble, and Allen tilted his head and frowned at him.

“Doin’ _what?”_ he asked plaintively, but his silver eyes were suddenly roving anything but Lavi. Lavi frowned at him.

“You _know_ what. Pretending you don’t need to eat or drink or whatever. You know Steve and Tasha won’t mind, right?”

“Don’ wanna be twouble,” Allen mumbled, hunching in a little. “You do i’ too.”

“Yeah, ‘cause I can take care of those things _myself,”_ Lavi countered. _Well, mostly._ It was a lot harder than he remembered it being, when he always seemed to be hungry or thirsty or tired or close to tears- He shook the thought away. “You still little.”

“No’ a _baby,”_ Allen snapped, staring at the ground unhappily.

“I know, ‘kay? I know.” Lavi patted his head, and Allen peeked up at him, silver eyes shining with the threat of tears. “But you don’t have to do it alone.”

Lately, with all the pressure on Tony, Lavi had been trying to stay out of the way as much as he could, which included not pestering him when he was hungry or when he couldn’t sleep or when he felt upset, all things he used to go to Tony for. He knew that Tony would drop everything for him in a heartbeat, but he didn’t _need_ to. Lavi was technically twenty-something years old, he shouldn’t _need_ taken care of like this.

Allen, being Allen, was thinking the same way, except he was two years old and couldn’t really take care of himself even as well as Lavi could. Being Allen, that meant that he pretended that he didn’t need those things, which was bullshit and they both knew it.

Allen looked away again, breath hitching a little. “They havin’ a hawd time,” he defended weakly. “Can ask Sam ‘stead.”

“Yeah, but you _don’t,”_ Lavi argued. “He notices that you’re wandering around looking hungry and makes you food.” Sam or Scott were trying their best to stay out of the conflict, which meant they were the least stressed (not saying much) and therefore the most likely to notice what the kids were up to first.

Not to say that Tony, Steve, and Natasha never did, but considering they were actively being avoided, albeit along with everyone else who frequently fought, it was marginally more difficult for them.

Allen made a soft, frustrated noise and probably would have gone on, but then the door opened and they both fell silent.

Within a few seconds, Lavi identified the entrants as Rhodey and Steve, and felt a knot form in his stomach. They weren’t arguing yet, at least not like they sometimes did, but…

“He’s trying the best he can, Steve,” Rhodey was saying to Steve in an undertone, terse but rigidly polite. “I know this is hard, okay? I get it. But you need to put a little less pressure on Tony, because trust me, it’s not going to help.”

“I think you’ll find you and I disagree on that point,” Steve said calmly. “I know he’s your friend, Rhodey, but sometimes…” Pause. “Well, he’s not the most _responsible_ man I’ve ever met.”

Rhodey snorted. “How long have you known Tony?” he asked rhetorically, sounding perilously close to scathing. “If I know him at all, he’s giving this everything he has already.”

“Well, I’m asking him to give a little more,” Steve bit out, cold and stern. “And I’m sorry if he has to lose a little of his privilege, but we need Bucky back.”

“It’s not about that,” Rhodey countered, voice rising a little in frustration. “I know we need Bucky back, _Yuu_ needs Bucky back, but we aren’t talking about bailing out a shoplifter here, okay? It’s not as easy as you seem to think it is, Steve.”

“Nothing worth doing is easy,” Steve said sharply. “And this isn’t any exception. It’s high time Tony learned that.”

“Tony is not known for learning from his mistakes,” came Wanda’s icy tones; Lavi hadn’t even noticed her come in. “I would suggest that he does not understand what he has done; he seems quite childish.”

Rhodey’s voice turned hard. “Are you suggesting that he _intentionally_ let the government take Bucky away?”

“He does have a history of jealousy,” Steve said, without affirming anything either way.

“Listen, Tony is a lot of things, and sure, an ass is one of them, but he’s also the most _loyal fucking friend_ you can _possibly_ wish for,” Rhodey gritted out.

“No, _Bucky_ is,” Steve snapped, voice harsh.

This wasn’t an unusual event, so Lavi and Allen both huddled back a little, preparing to wait it out. It was unfortunate that they wouldn’t be able to get out without attracting the adults’ attention, but, well, things happened.

Lavi felt a hand fist in his shirt, and looked down, face pale and stiff as a board, to see Allen with his eyes squeezed shut, shaking slightly. As Lavi watched, he pressed the side of his face into Lavi’s face and whimpered softly.

Lavi wished he actually felt together enough to give some of the comfort Allen was seeking from him.

Lavi reached down and hugged Allen with one arm, wide eyes staring at the shadows cast on the fluffy brown blanket.

“Tony Stark does what Tony Stark wants,” Wanda put in, still as cold as ever; the past few months had done nothing to warm her toward Tony, and while her animosity had cooled in the time before that, it was returning, stronger and stronger with every new argument.

“And if you can’t see that, you might just be compromised,” Steve added, deadly quiet. “After all, Tony made the armor that got you on the team, didn’t he?”

“And Erskine made the serum that got you that body, and my father gave you the shield that’s kept it alive,” Tony - when had Tony gotten here, oh God, this was going to be so bad - said coolly. “But no one’s challenging _your_ place on the team.”

“At least he _has_ a place on the team,” Steve returned without skipping a beat. “How long did it take you to get rid of your status as a ‘consultant’?”

“Don’t know, didn’t keep track,” Tony said flippantly, which Lavi knew was a complete lie. Steve snorted.

“And you wonder why people find you so hard to like,” Steve said scornfully. “As though you didn’t act like maturity, responsibility, and reliability were things for _other people.”_

There was a brief moment of silence. Lavi made a soft, dying noise and buried his face in Allen’s hair, the tears that had been threatening to spill since the beginning of the argument finally falling, soaking into his friend’s white hair, breath hitching and uneven.

“It okay,” Allen whispered into Lavi’s chest, shaking harder than ever. “It okay!”

“They’ll finish soon,” Lavi whispered hoarsely, wondering if he was reassuring Allen or himself. “They’ll stop. They’ll stop.”

“I have people for that,” Tony said, belatedly, audibly startled but quickly covering it up. “Which, hey, gives me more time to, say, _schmooze,_ since you seem so set on me conjuring political miracles out of thin air.”

“Perhaps you would be more inclined to create these ‘miracles’ if you were given _incentive,”_ Wanda suggested, soft and dangerous. Lavi’s breath hitched again, and if his arms tightened around Allen, neither of them were going to complain.

“Hey, now, don’t you start in with that,” Rhodey warned.

“Why not? He’s set enough on doing it himself,” Steve countered. “Self-destructive is putting it mildly; I wouldn’t put ‘baiting a teammate’ past him at all. He’s no team player.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t be on this team, then,” Tony said harshly.

“Maybe you shouldn’t!” Steve returned, voice rising almost to a shout.

“Then why are you still here?” Tony growled, low and furious.

Almost instantly, Allen’s grip on Lavi’s shirt turned so tight it had to be painful, and his shaking and whimpers turned into gasps for breath. When Lavi looked down at him, barely able to see for flowing tears, Allen’s eyes were wide and terrified, fixed on the shadows outside.

It took Lavi a long time to figure out what was wrong, longer than it would have if he weren’t swimming in so much irrational fear himself, but then he realized: Allen was having a panic attack.

Of course he was. Allen had admitted to Lavi himself that there was nothing that scared him more than the thought of being sent away.

Lavi wanted to help Allen calm down, but somehow, all he managed to do was cry harder and cling to Allen like that would actually help, his photographic memory refusing to help him remember how to handle this. It was a wonder the adults couldn’t hear them, but then, they were being kinda loud themselves.

“Whoa, whoa, hey, no one’s going anywhere.” Sam, Lavi registered distantly. “Calm down. Who let you guys all loose together, huh?”

“Sam,” Steve greeted tersely, trying for friendly and missing by a mile.

“Steve,” Sam returned dryly. “Is this what you guys get up to when I’m not around? No, don’t answer that. Just… try to tone it down a notch before the kids hear you, okay? You know they don’t take this real well.”

“Ahem.” Vision.

Lavi sniffled and wished the grown-ups would stop fighting and wished he could think clearly and wished Allen’s breathing would even out, and then he flinched as an unexpected wave of cool air hit him, and looked up.

Vision’s distinctive face was gazing at him from the flap, and Lavi flinched away subconsciously, moving as if to shield Allen from a nonexistent enemy. Allen barely even noticed and started to keen quietly against him, broken up by his shallow breathing.

Vision’s face shut down, and he turned to look at the adults behind him. Lavi didn’t see what his expression was like after that, but Steve flinched, and he wasn’t the only one.

“I believe,” he said coolly, “that it is too late for that.”

“Is that… Allen and Lavi?” Steve asked, horror creeping into his voice. “Did they hear all of that?”

Vision didn’t answer, instead returning his attention to the two children in the makeshift tent. Forbidding expression melting into something softer and sadder, he held out a hand. “Come here. I will not yell.” Lavi shook his head. “I only want to help you. It hurts to see you cry, and Allen should not breathe like that for very long.”

It took a few minutes, but eventually, Lavi ventured close enough to Vision for the android to take both him and Allen.

Lavi refused to look at any of the adults who had been arguing, burying his face in Vision instead. Beside him, he could hear Vision coaching Allen, until his hyperventilation turned into a somewhat healthier form of hysterical crying.

Lavi hated, hated, hated this.

With that done, Vision turned to the adults and said, in a deadly tone of voice Lavi had never heard from him before, “Talk it out. _Without_ arguing.”

They did.

A month after Bucky was taken away and two weeks after the big argument, Tony had hugged Lavi, apologized, scolded him for the stunt with the self-care, and then tipped Steve and Natasha off as to what Allen was doing, which earned Allen the same.

Things had calmed down after that; they were still tense, but there was no more yelling. Lavi was relieved, and he knew Allen was, too - the younger boy still hadn’t gotten over his fear of angry voices, and maybe never would.

That meant that the investigations guy was a lot less suspicious than he might have been, which didn’t make the three children much more comfortable when he asked to do a physical examination of them - just for the records, of course.

Allen squirmed away as soon as the man - Lawrence Halbrook, this time - tried to take him. Lavi shied away, unsettled. Kanda smacked his hand away with a fearsome glare.

“I don’t think they like me,” Halbrook muttered.

“That’s okay, they don’t like anyone,” Tony said cheerfully, which was complete bullshit, Lavi thought indignantly. There was a moment of silence, and Lavi squirmed guiltily while Allen tried not to look as anxious as he felt. Kanda just glared at him venomously, arms crossed, keeping a more-than-healthy distance away.

“I’ll handle Yuu,” Steve offered with a sigh. Allen tried not to cringe too guiltily; he wasn’t trying to be difficult, none of them were (well, maybe Kanda), but he was still unsettled from the events of the past few months and he really, really didn’t want a stranger touching him.

Kanda was still mad at everything, as he had been for the past month, but he let Steve pick him up and set him on his lap, even if he was stiff as a board as he did so.

Tony crossed the room next and crouched in front of Lavi, cocking one eyebrow. “C’mon, little buddy, we got work to do,” Tony said cheerfully, holding out a hand. Then, very pointedly, he glanced at Kanda, scowling at the ground with the distant threat of tears and a flush of frustration, and then to Allen, shaking slightly.

Lavi reluctantly let Tony guide him to Halbrook, something in his father’s eyes pleading with him to be the easy one, knowing how difficult it would be for the other two. With that in mind, Lavi took a deep breath and bore the examination, the pat-down and the checks.

Natasha, meanwhile, picked Allen off the ground and settled him in her lap as well. “It’s okay, little angel, I’ve got you,” she reassured him, giving him a small half-smile half-smirk. “I’ll keep my eye on him the whole time - trust me, one funny movement…” She let the threat hang, but got the desired response; Allen giggled softly and offered a small, hesitant smile.

It was nice, to know that Natasha would be there. That she would make sure nothing happened. It was silly, but it made Allen feel a little warmer.

Neither of them watched as Halbrook, quiet but steady, seemed to go through a mental checklist, and Lavi squirmed, but didn’t make any further protest, rarely breaking eye contact with an uncharacteristically motionless Tony Stark. After a few moments, Natasha added,

“We’re not hiding anything, so we’ve nothing to worry about, little angel.”

Allen’s breath hitched, and Natasha couldn’t fail to notice that, he knew, but she did him the courtesy of pretending not to, which let him huddle against her with only a little bit of guilt.

He wondered if he could tell her. But he was scared. What if she was mad? What if… what if she didn’t want him anymore?

He wasn’t sure he could take that.

Allen was next, and the sharp look at Natasha was instant, clearly a thought repressed probably through the whole meeting. Just as quickly, Natasha’s demeanor cooled to pure, dry ice.

“I think you’ll find that the scar was on file when we adopted him,” she said before he could bring it up. “It’s no fault of ours.” Allen flinched. _No. Not yours. Just mine._

Halbrook, though, nodded reluctantly, and handled Allen’s arm with a carelessness that made him squirm. _Stop touching me, stop touching it..._ Natasha gave the man a sharp look and he let go, and Natasha took his limp hand gently, lacing her fingers through his.

“Yes, it’s paralyzed,” she told him tersely. “Yes, we’ve had it looked at.”

“You’ve thought about this, haven’t you?” he murmured with a grin. Natasha wasn’t amused.

“Once or twice.”

The accusation calmed a little after that, though Allen assumed the man would have to check some files to corroborate her claims, and then it was over, and Allen nearly fell back against Natasha, unaccountably relieved.

Kanda was next, and Allen gripped Natasha a little tighter than strictly necessary, worried.

Kanda looked to be of half a mind to run away, but he didn’t; he squirmed and batted Halbrook’s hands away at every turn, being as difficult as Allen had seen him since they’d been reborn, but he didn’t run, which Allen suspected was an expression of his resignedness to his fate. Of course, being Kanda, nothing came up until...

“The tattoo?” Halbrook questioned, pulling down the shirt collar. Kanda growled at him and squirmed until he was forced to release it, letting the shirt hide it once again.

“HYDRA’s work,” Steve explained. “We don’t know precisely what went on there, but we know Yuu was born there, and given to Bucky. Anything else…” He shrugged.

“I see.” Halbrook straightened up, and Allen heard Lavi let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you for cooperating, I know it was hard.” And he did sound a little regretful. Allen still resented him, but at least he knew it was unfair.

Allen almost thought Kanda was gonna refuse to speak to the guy at all when the older boy suddenly asked,

“When’s the bear coming back?”

He didn’t get an answer.


	31. Just a Little Farther

Before the children, the Avengers hadn't put a lot of thought into security outside the tower. All of them were full-grown, superpowered adults more than capable of looking after themselves.

With the kids, though, that had changed, and if they went out, it was never without leaving someone in charge. The kids themselves were rarely brought out, being high-profile targets without the skill set to back it up. (Though with Lavi and Kanda having reached kindergarten age, that would have to change come next fall. Last Natasha had checked, Tony was, in his nonexistent free time, vetting schools already.)

But after the last few months, Steve thought Allen needed a day out, and secretly, Natasha agreed.

She hadn't realized how much she needed it as well.

"I spy…" She trailed off for effect, studying her surroundings. Allen looked up at her attentively, and she felt a smile form on her lips as she looked down at him. "Something… Green."

Allen copied her intent stare, peering wide-eyed at the world around them - a forested park some miles from home.

"Everything," Allen said decisively, and Natasha didn't bother restraining her smile.

"Exactly," she agreed, and Allen beamed.

Steve gave both of them a goofy smile, one she hadn't seen in far too long. She winked at him and looked down at Allen, who stared up with big silver eyes.

"Your turn, little angel."

"Um…" Allen turned his eyes back onto the forest and cast his gaze around. "I spy… someting _yewwow."_

"A bee?" Natasha suggested. Allen giggled and shook his head.

"A flower?" Steve offered, smiling fondly down at Allen. Allen bobbed his head enthusiastically.

"Yeah!" And then, "Can I wun?"

"Sure," Steve answered, chuckling. "We'll play stop-and-go. Be careful not to fall, okay?"

Allen nodded eagerly, and Steve smiled.

"Okay, go."

Allen released Natasha's hand and took off running. Steve laughed and looked at Natasha.

"It's good to see him happy again."

"It's good to see _you_ happy again," Natasha replied, taking pleasure in the surprise that crossed his face. It was soon followed by anxiety, though, and she bopped him on the head. "Not now, solnyshko. You can worry your pretty little head off when we get back." Offhand, she called, "Stop."

Allen stopped running and nearly fell over himself with the force of his suddenly neglected momentum.

"Okay, okay," Steve said ruefully.

For a few minutes, they walked quietly, stopping Allen when he got too far away and letting him run when they caught up. Finally, Natasha broke it.

"Everything is going to be fine."

"I thought you were telling me not to worry?" Steve asked, amused. She shot him a look that once would have made him grimace, at the very least, but now only made him grin.

"I am. And I'm also telling you that everything is going to be fine. It's just going to take a little time."

Steve's smile faded. "Yeah. I know."

"Nat! Cap!"

Allen came running back, and both of them obligingly turned their attention onto him. When he skidded to a halt at their feet, he beamed and held up an offering of a neat daffodil with a torn petal.

Natasha crouched down and took it, giving it a sniff and Allen a smile before she passed it to Steve. "It's very lovely, Allen. Thank you."

Allen beamed, and when he held one arm up to Steve, Steve laughed and swung him up to prop him on his hip, where he clung like a little koala bear. Natasha laughed at both of them and snuck her camera out of her bag to snap a picture just as Steve was tucking the flower behind his ear, and he grinned at her.

A few hours wasn't much, but in times like these, a breath of fresh air could make all the difference.

* * *

Maria had been pleased with the difference in the tower as of late. She hadn't heard exactly what happened, but Vision seemed extraordinarily self-satisfied and most of the other Avengers treated him rather gingerly for a few weeks before they finally relaxed back into a semblance of their old routines, made awkward and painful, admittedly, by Bucky Barnes' continued absence.

But regardless of how it came about, the arguments had stopped, and even most of the stifling tension was gone; an understanding had been reached.

Yuu, though, wasn't much happier than he had been, and last she'd heard, even Natasha couldn't get him to sleep anywhere but alone in Bucky's room. His days were spent either sticking close to one of the other boys, sulking and staring angrily at the ground, looking close enough to tears to be pitiable, or hidden in some corner or other, hugging his bear and staying very quiet.

It was the former of the two at the moment. Maria had taken the respite provided by the Avengers' sudden willingness to play nice and taken the three children to the roof.

Allen may be her only godchild, but she was under no illusions about the fact that even if she didn't ever need to take in either of the others, she would see them around. Not only were they the children of her coworkers, but they and Allen were inseparable. It was about time she got to know them.

Right now, they weren't doing much talking. She sat on a handy bench (what the hell, Stark?) and blew bubbles for the children to chase around, giggling and shouting.

Allen and Lavi were deeply involved, but Yuu was just sitting off to one side, watching them with a faint scowl and the tremulous, fragile look that had characterized him as of late.

Maria was worried about Yuu, and she knew she wasn't the only one. He wasn't just adjusting badly; he didn't seem to be adjusting at _all,_ unusual for a child his age, but understandable for one in such circumstances. She almost stopped and stood to go talk to him, but even as she began to rise, Allen slowed to a halt, worried silver eyes on his friend, and then said a few words to Lavi before jogging off to talk to Yuu.

She sat back down and watched, and though she kept blowing bubbles for Lavi, she could tell that neither of them were paying much attention to the game anymore.

Allen sat beside Yuu, who scowled at him and snapped something most likely designed to drive Allen off. Allen ignored it and talked to him for a bit, and over time, Yuu's scowl faltered and he seemed to shrink into himself more and more, like a crumpling plastic cup.

Finally, Allen reached up and gently hugged his friend, so tender that Maria could almost feel it from here. Yuu didn't respond in kind, but he did seem to take comfort from it, and he didn't move.

After a while, Allen let go, and Yuu stood up and said something else to the younger boy, and then ran off back inside. Allen wandered over to Maria instead of going back to playing, and Maria stopped so that she could better listen to what he had to say. Lavi looked at both of them thoughtfully, and then ran over to peer over the edge of the building.

"He 'kay," Allen offered to her, voice soft and smile small. "He go t'Scott."

"That's good," Maria replied, and she meant it. Scott was good with Yuu. "You did good, Allen."

Allen gave her a shy smile, hands clasped behind his back. "Nat 'kay? Cap 'kay?" A brief moment of hesitation, and she waited with one eyebrow raised expectantly. Finally, he asked in a small voice, "Team 'kay?"

She smiled fondly; say what you would about his oddities, but Allen was one of the sweetest children she'd ever met, and considering her niece, that was saying something.

She lifted the child onto her lap and then paused, not quite sure how to hold him. Allen, though, seemed to know what to do, and he wriggled until he was comfortable, then looked up at her expectantly. She could feel tension in his body and see a wariness in his eyes that startled her, but, unsure how to deal with it, she ignored it.

"They're all okay," Maria assured him, and he made a frustrated sound at her. She paused, startled all over again, and then sighed and glanced away, not wanting to meet his eyes. Instead, she focused on Lavi, half pulling himself up to better see the street below. "Or… they will be. Once Barnes returns."

That had become something of a mantra. Once Barnes returns. Yuu will sleep soundly again, once Barnes returns. Scott will look Steve in the eye again, once Barnes returns. Steve will be happy again, once Barnes returns. The team will be okay again, once Barnes returns.

"Mm." It was a high, unhappy sound, but at least this time Allen didn't seem unhappy with _her._

"Mm," she agreed, since that about summed up her feelings on the matter, too.

And Allen giggled, relaxing enough to set his head on her shoulder and close his eyes.

* * *

It was after hours for Stark Industries, which meant the lobby was empty when Tony, Steve, and Natasha brought the children to the lobby.

All of them were tense; Steve had a bag slung over one shoulder, and Natasha was holding Allen's hand. Lavi was clinging to Tony's, and Yuu was by himself, little hands in little fists and staring at the ground.

Steve's jaw was clenched, a mildly pained look in his eyes, and Natasha wasn't much better off. Tony's gaze was cast to the ground as well; this was a perceived failure on his part, and a big one.

Tony had managed to get a deal out of CPS. They took the kids to a temporary home for one day, conducted interviews and inspections wherever they felt necessary, and then talked to the person who'd taken the children in for the night.

If nothing seemed amiss, they would lay off.

It was a deal Tony wasn't sure he could refuse, and talking to Steve about it had yielded reluctant agreement. The kids had been a little more reluctant, but they'd agreed, too.

Still, they'd gone over everything they could think of - emergency numbers, _their_ numbers, stranger danger, anything. This was making them all nervous, and always, there was the niggling fear that they wouldn't come back.

It was tearing Tony in half to think that he was willingly sending Lavi away, for any reason at all, and for the first time, he regretted choosing a career path as a superhero.

He wondered if it was better, or worse, that even this wouldn't make him change his mind.

Tony crouched in front of Lavi and put on a smile, and was somewhat gratified to see Lavi manage one in return. "You ready, little buddy?" he asked.

Lavi shrugged, glancing away. "No," he admitted in a small voice, hands moving to clasp behind his back. "But we'll be okay. We always are." For a given definition of 'okay', but he wasn't going to tell Tony that.

"That's the spirit," Tony grinned, ruffling his hair.

Elsewhere in the room, Steve pulled Yuu aside to talk to him, and while the boy peered up at him with a suspicious glare and a defensive stance, he just crouched down to give him a serious look.

"Yuu, can I ask something of you? Something very important?"

Yuu continued to eye him suspiciously, but he didn't show any further signs of apprehension. Steve had a sudden flashback to when he'd first arrived with Bucky and took it as consent.

"I know this is hard for all three of you, but you're a strong kid," Steve told Yuu. Yuu's posture eased up a bit, but he didn't take his eyes off Steve. "Can you look after Allen and Lavi for me tonight? I'd feel better knowing you're taking care of them."

Yuu frowned at Steve, and Steve held his gaze steadily. After a long moment, something in Yuu's eyes changed, and he nodded firmly before scurrying back.

Steve smiled. That request wasn't just for Allen and Lavi's benefit, though he wasn't lying when he said he'd feel better with Yuu watching their backs. He'd been pretty sure that it would help Yuu, too, and it looked like he'd been right.

Natasha seemed more relaxed than any of them, but then, she was a very good actor. Steve had been with her when she'd been arranging for increased security in the area (both legal and illegal) and running a background check on the woman who'd be looking after their kids for the night. (Bethany Hakimi, Muslim, born and raised in America, owned a small sewing shop and worked in a law firm.) She was not as unconcerned as she appeared.

Finally, a car pulled up on the street and a woman, tall, blonde, and on the chubby side, got out. By Natasha, Allen started to sniffle, and Lavi stiffened. Yuu straightened up and glared at the woman fiercely.

The woman entered, looking a little flustered but holding her own. Tony wondered, with maybe a little spite, how much they had to vet the people they sent to handle Avengers business, and how much they had to prepare them.

"Hello," the woman greeted first, professional and steady. She held out her hand to Steve first, since he was most approachable and also in the front. "My name is Cindy, CPS. I'll be transporting the boys to Ms. Hakimi's home." She spoke with a familiar, friendly sort of cheer, and in other circumstances, Steve might have even liked her. As it was, he couldn't even really smile at her.

"ID?" Steve asked with uncharacteristic curtness, and Cindy hastened to produce it, holding it out at arm's length from her body.

Steve took it, examined it, and then handed it back, inclining his head slightly with a tight smile. "Thank you, ma'am. Drive safe."

"Of course," she agreed readily, voice heightening slightly in nervousness. "Is everything ready?"

Steve held out the bag, and Cindy took it, slinging it over her shoulder easily. "Then there's just the boys left."

Steve nodded and turned back to Allen first, same as Natasha. Beside him, he could see Tony having a few last words with Lavi - hasty reassurance that would come nowhere near to tiding him over 'til the next day.

Allen's eyes were brimming with tears, his breath catching in his chest, but he was watching them both. Steve managed a reassuring smile for him, but Natasha spoke first.

"Stay safe, little angel," she said quietly. "We'll be waiting for you when you get back, understand? Everything is going to be just fine."

Allen nodded hesitantly. He was wearing a jacket, but he'd opened it at one point and was holding his left arm under it; Steve had noticed that he held his left arm more securely when he felt worried or scared.

"Stay with Lavi and Yuu," Steve added, blue eyes serious but warm, if worried. "Don't talk to strangers, and be good. We love you."

Allen stopped and stared at him, and then at Natasha, who smiled and nodded firmly. A small smile made its way onto Allen's face even past the tears, and quietly, he said, "Love you too."

Steve smiled and hugged him, the little form fitting neatly in his arms. He was reluctant to let go, but Cindy was waiting, so eventually, he had to. Natasha was right after him, a little looser, but murmuring something into Allen's ear. Steve turned his attention to Yuu, who was scowling at the ground again.

"Yuu," he called. Yuu looked at him, and Steve could still see the same determined glint that had appeared earlier. Steve smiled. "Don't worry, okay? We'll get you home."

Yuu hesitated, but then he nodded and turned away abruptly, fists clenching and unclenching weakly.

Five minutes later, the kids were in the car.

There were two booster seats and a full-on car seat for Allen; it was hell to get the three of them strapped in, probably, but the real shock of the situation hadn't really settled in until they'd left. Now that they had, it hit full-force.

Lavi was silent and still, hunched over a little and staring at nothing, biting his lip anxiously. Allen was crying silently, hugging his poorly concealed arm to his chest like his life depended on it, and Kanda was scowling blackly, eyes shut tight and head pressed to the window beside him.

Cindy was in front, and as she started the car, she glanced back. Her face softened empathetically. "Poor boys," she murmured.

A few button-clicks set soft music playing in the car, which was ignored by the three children. They pulled out and went on their way, and Allen twisted around to watch the tower go. When it was out of sight, he nearly crumpled back into place, miserable.

Cindy's eyes were on the road, but when she spoke, it was with the clear intention of being heard and listened to. "I know this is scary, but you don't need to worry. We just want to look around your home when it's just your parents home, alright?"

She was ignored. This was not unexpected.

"If everything goes well, you'll be back home tomorrow morning," she pressed on determinedly. "If you're worried about Ms. Hakimi, I promise you she's very nice. I've spoken with her before and she's very excited to meet you."

Yuu made a soft, displeased noise.

"Oh, don't be like that," Cindy chuckled uncomfortably. "You'll love her, I promise."

* * *

Bethany Hakimi was a short woman with a delicate, almost frail build, younger than Lavi had expected, and a bright smile. She wore a dark jacket and a long denim skirt, as well as a muted blue hijab and a silver-colored wristwatch.

She was waiting outside of a tall apartment building, leaning against the brick wall. On seeing them, she brightened and moved forward.

"Good morning, Cindy," she greeted, smiling, as Cindy got out of the car, more emotionally worn than she'd expected to be by the trip. "Are these the children?"

"These are the children," Cindy confirmed with a weary smile. Dropping her voice slightly, she added, "They're very upset, as you can imagine - I don't think the littlest boy has stopped crying since we left. Take care of them, okay?"

"You know I will," Bethany promised, a little more solemn now. She moved around to the opposite side to help Cindy get the children out of the car, and encountered a little boy with long hair on opening the door. She made a show of reeling back in surprise and saw his scowl soften slightly into a look of irritated confusion. "Oh! Why, hello there. What's your name?"

The boy studied her cautiously for a few moments before he answered, quiet and rough. "Yuu."

"Yuu?" She moved forward to unstrap him from his seat, and he scowled at her arm but didn't resist. "That's a nice name. My name is Bethany." She winked at him. "It's not quite as interesting, but at least it isn't 'Cindy'."

"I can hear you!"

Yuu snorted softly, and Bethany grinned at him. The child released, she stepped back so he could hop out of the car, and he did so, then scampered off to the other side, where a redheaded boy his age was already free, looking stunned and disconsolate.

The sight made Yuu's mood drop again instantly, and Bethany prodded at him. "Yuu? Who's this?"

He shot her a brief glare but answered anyway, transferring it to Cindy, who lifted a boy with startling white hair and a downright alarming scar out of a car seat. "Lavi." And then, "Stupid rabbit."

Cindy set the littlest boy down, and Bethany saw, with no small amount of concern, that he was indeed crying, silently, true, but still with tears tracks on his cheeks and a trembling lower lip.

"Allen," Yuu offered, neither looking at her nor waiting for her to ask. "Beansprout."

"Well, I'll let you take it from here, Beth," Cindy said with a weary smile, passing her a bag she'd produced from nowhere. "I'll call you tonight, of course."

"Of course," Bethany agreed with a smile, taking it. "I'll talk to you then."

Cindy nodded at her, then returned to her car and pulled out. Bethany turned her attention to the three little ones in varying degrees of distress, and smiled at them.

"Alright, ready to see my apartment?" she asked them. Yuu huffed and looked away, Lavi glanced up and shrugged, and Allen just stared up at her apprehensively. She sighed and let her smile fade again. With some humor, she tacked on, "Don't worry, I promise nothing bites."

She reached for Allen's hand, but he pulled away, face turning aside unhappily. Yuu placed himself between them and shoved Allen with his shoulder, which Bethany would have put a stop to if it weren't so clear that Allen didn't mind.

Like this, she led the three of them up into her three-room apartment, which had her bedroom, an improvised room where foster children stayed, a bathroom, and a main room where she cooked, ate, and spent her time.

She showed the boys the room that would be their bedroom first, where she placed the bag down. "I'm sorry there are only two beds," she apologized, laughing a little. "I could find something, I'm sure-"

"Allen can sleep with me," Lavi interrupted, shrugging again. Allen, staring at the ground again, nodded wordlessly.

Bethany smiled. "Then that works out nicely. Thank you."

They returned to the main room within a few minutes, and the boys huddled on the floor in a corner, looking sad and slightly pathetic. Bethany grimaced slightly; she hadn't been told anything about these boys or where they were coming for, but it couldn't have been more obvious that they wanted to go back if they'd screamed it at her from across the room.

Which had happened, on occasion.

She sat down beside them and waited for them to acknowledge her, which took a few moments. It was Lavi this time, looking at her questioningly while Yuu hunched in on himself and Allen tried not to make any noise.

"Do any of you want to do anything?" Bethany asked quietly, softer than she'd been thus far. She added a smile, trying to comfort him a little. "I have some puzzles you could play with, and some toys. I'm sure you brought some, too." She'd caught a glimpse of a bear in the bag, and a panda as well.

Lavi shook his head, and Yuu did, too. Allen didn't even look up.

She tried a few more times, but there was no consoling them. So finally, with a weary sigh and a reassuring smile, she got up and moved to the couch, where a basket of sewing supplies waited.

Inside were some squares of fabric and her needles and thread, the beginnings of a project she'd barely started. Quietly, keeping one careful eye on the children, she started to sew them together, the beginning stages of a quilt.

For a long time, they stayed like that, with a damper on the atmosphere that was almost stifling, and little more than the sound of Allen's sniffling to accompany the city noise from the window.

Finally, Bethany could no longer take it, and she started to hum - a children's tune, 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider'. Soon, that morphed into 'Old MacDonald Had a Farm', and once she'd grown tired of that, 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'.

Then she noticed Lavi looking at her, with more interest than she'd noticed in him thus far. She let a smile cross her face, but otherwise pretended not to notice, shifting humming into singing.

"Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man-" She saw Allen shift to look at her, rubbing wearily at one eye with the only hand she'd seen so far, starting to let himself be distracted from his worry. She smiled again and continued, "Do you know the muffin man, that lives on Drury Lane?"

'The Muffin Man' turned into 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat', and then 'Ring Around the Rosie' (with added spinny wrist motions, since dancing that one by yourself was a little difficult). None of the children moved to pitch in, but by 'London Bridge', even Yuu was listening, glancing at her furtively every few moments, looking a little calmer despite himself.

She nearly laughed quietly to herself. _Mission accomplished,_ she thought humorously, and continued on.

* * *

Night took far too long to come, but by the end, the three kids had at least let themselves be coaxed into playing a few board games and even watching something Bethany had set up for them on her small television, which Lavi quietly poked fun at to the other two, voice full of humor but heart not quite in it.

Finally, it came time for Bethany to put them to bed - Kanda with his teddy bear, Lavi with his panda, and Allen with a little knitted blanket that he only ever kept at night - and left the three of them alone with the lights off and a fish nightlight in the wall.

For a while, all three of them were silent, but awake. Finally, Allen asked, in a small voice, "Lavi?"

"Yeah, sprout?" Lavi asked instantly, squirming a little so he could look down at the top of Allen's head.

"Are we gonna be okay?"

Lavi nearly flinched - despite all logical thoughts to the contrary, he'd been wondering the same thing - but forced himself to sound confident. "Course we are!"

"Mm." Allen didn't sound like he believed him.

"Hey. Sprout."

The second call made Allen turn over and look at Kanda, who was giving him a surprisingly intent look.

"Kan'a?" Allen asked softly.

"If we get out of this…" Kanda took a deep breath, and then let it out, harsh and hissing. "If everyone gets out of this… I'm gonna tell the bear."

Allen's eyes widened, and so did Lavi's. For the first time today, he felt pleased.

"But." Kanda's eyes narrowed intensely. "Only if you tell Steve and Tasha."

Allen's expression turned uncertain, and for a long time, it stayed like that. Lavi watched with bated breath, and finally, Allen blew out a breath of his own, and nodded.

"'Kay. I will. If you tell."

"Deal," Kanda said instantly, and Lavi hid a smile as Allen relaxed.

"'Kay," Allen repeated.

* * *

Lavi was up first the next day, far too early, but the other two weren't far behind, each of them lit by the same anxious urgency. He had a feeling that they'd spend half the morning on the edges of their metaphorical seats.

Bethany looked to be having a hard time managing them, which was probably poor repayment for her help in preventing their breakdowns the previous day, but Lavi couldn't bring himself to care, not at the moment.

He wanted to go home.

At exactly 8:47, a knock came on the door. Lavi, Allen, and even Yuu immediately moved to swarm it, and Bethany barely got there first, opening the door on a face that clearly surprised her, by the way she started and stepped back, mouth opening soundlessly.

"Hello, ma'am," Sam's voice greeted politely. "I came to pick up the kids."

"O-oh," Bethany stuttered. A hunch and a squirm revealed round brown eyes to Lavi's sight, and she stepped back hastily. "I mean-" She didn't seem to know what to say, and even if he thought it was funny, Lavi couldn't really blame her.

Sam gave a grin that was half amused and half apologetic. "Yeah, we thought it might be better if we didn't tell you. But yeah, those're the Avenger kids there. And we'd really like them home."

"I knew those names sounded familiar," Bethany murmured to herself, shaking her head, and then shook herself. "Of course, they've been missing you. Come in; their bag's been packed since seven."

Sam grinned and stepped in, and immediately had children around his legs, which probably made it hard to move.

"Sam!" Lavi called up, relief and delight in his emerald eyes. "Did everyone go 'kay? Can we go home now?"

"Course you can," Sam grinned at him, ruffling his hair. "Did you ever have any doubt?"

Lavi shook his head quickly, and Yuu snorted softly. Allen smiled hesitantly, and then looked at Bethany.

"Tank you," he said softly, and she blinked, startled, before smiling at him warmly.

"Of course. Anytime." To Sam, "I'm glad everything went well."

"Me, too," Sam said honestly.

In a few minutes, they were ready to go (as they, more or less, had been for over an hour) and Bethany kissed each of them on the forehead (to Yuu's clear disgust) before wishing them luck, at which point Sam, to all of their relief, started them on the journey home.

* * *

"Oh, thank God," were the first words Steve said on seeing them, surprisingly emphatic.

In the same motion, he picked up Allen and Yuu and hugged both of them, not including Lavi only because Pepper had claimed him first, before even Tony.

Everyone was there, and there was a general sense of not-yet-calmed anxiety in the room. People talked over other people, expressions of relief and anxiety and greeting, and Yuu squirmed in Steve's grip until he finally earned his release and hurried away to Scott, who betrayed him by bestowing upon him the same fate.

Natasha finally pinched Steve until he let go of Allen and claimed the little boy, who hugged her back with even more fervor than he had Steve, trembling slightly. "Thank God," she repeated, much quieter than Steve had. She didn't hold him for as long, either, but released him to hold him back and give a relieved smile to his happy sniffling. "Well done, little angel. You did it."

Allen gave her a little smile and hugged her again, very briefly, and then snuggled securely between them as if he never intended to leave again.

With Pepper and Tony, Pepper was still murmuring frantic half-reassurances half-oaths into Lavi's hair, and he clung to her with all the strength in his body. Tony was pressed to both of them, breathing deep and slow, shaking slightly, but when Lavi looked at him, he shot him a grin, and Lavi smiled back, if a little shakier.

Like this, each of the children were passed around to each relieved Avenger, and then returned. It was a quarter of an hour before they even began to show signs of calming, and another half hour before they started to drift apart.

It was then that Lavi looked at Tony and told him, "When Bucky comes back, Allen and Yuu are gonna tell their parents. They promised."

Tony gave him a startled look, almost wondering if he was lying, but Lavi was giving him one of the most serious, earnest looks he'd ever seen. His resolve, tough as nails already, cemented further.

"I'll get Bucky back," he promised.

* * *

"Daddy's gonna be back soon, right?"

Rhodey looked up to catch Lavi's anxious green eyes, and he grinned reassuringly, reaching out to ruffle the kid's hair. "Yeah, he'll be just fine," he promised, chuckling. "Trust me, those knuckleheads can't even touch him unless he lets them." Once he got all his cards lined up, no half-assed politician could hold a candle to Tony Stark on a mission.

Lavi, though, bit his lip. "Mommy said he might be getting himself in trouble."

Pepper said that to _Lavi?_ Rhodey doubted it. More likely, Lavi had been somewhere she hadn't expected him to be and overheard it. Kids seemed good at that sort of thing. "Yeah, probably, but we'll be ready for that when it happens."

Lavi nodded, looking a little reassured now. "And he's gonna get Bucky out?"

This, Rhodey could answer for sure. Steve might be pacing right now, out of his mind with worry, but Rhodey knew his friend, and when he went in for the kill- "Yeah, kid. He's gonna get Bucky out."

Lavi surrendered a small smile. "Good."

"You bet."

* * *

Once he'd paced his worry out, Steve went looking for Yuu.

He knew the boy well enough by now to know that today would not be a 'friend day' - he would not be seeking reassurance. No, today, he would be holed up in a corner somewhere. Steve, on the other hand, was not going to let that happen.

He was just as worried as Yuu - of course he was. It wasn't that he didn't think Tony could do it, but… Well, he supposed he was being irrational.

That had been a theme with him lately, and it was making it hard to interact with Tony. The misunderstandings were mostly done away with, but the bad blood ran thick.

But for now, Yuu.

It took about a quarter hour's search to find Yuu, hidden in a mostly-closed closet, curled up in a ball around his starting-to-become-ratty stuffed bear. He was silent and still, not crying, not shaking, but breathing quick and unsteady.

"Hey, Yuu," Steve said gently, getting onto his knees beside the boy. Yuu didn't acknowledge him. "Do you want to come out now?"

"No."

Well, it was a start. Steve stifled a smile, because it was very inappropriate at the moment, and tried something else. "Will you come out, please?"

"No."

Steve's smile faded slightly, worry taking its place. Yuu's voice was toneless, but his breathing hadn't evened out any. It was obvious that he was scared, but it looked like he didn't want to admit it even to himself.

"You'll hear from Tony sooner." Yuu ignored him. "It would make the rest of us feel better if we knew you weren't alone."

Yuu cast him a weak, sidelong glare. "Don't wanna," he mumbled, squeezing a little tighter.

Steve toyed with the Bucky card for a minute before throwing it aside in favor of, "Please?"

Yuu snorted bitterly into his bear's head, but he stood up. Steve smiled.

"Thank you, Yuu."

"Whatever."

* * *

Wanda had taken Allen aside again, and they were in her room, both of them sitting quietly together, the same restless, festering anxiety that was infecting the rest of the tower overtaking them as well. Allen was leaning against Wanda's side instead of in her lap, playing with his fingers listlessly, while Wanda had her head tipped back, brow furrowed anxiously as she brooded.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, Allen admitted, "I'm scared."

"That is fine, Allen," Wanda answered quietly, looking down at last to lift a hand and place it gently on his head. She didn't smile, she didn't have it in her right now, but she did meet his gaze worry for worry. "I am scared, too."

Allen sniffled and his eyes filled with tears, and he buried his face in her side, sniffling. He didn't cry, but he didn't move, either.

Wanda sighed and went back to her thoughts.

_Come home, please. I cannot lose any more family._

* * *

It had been a trying month for Bucky Barnes, driven half-mad by residual programs he hadn't even realized he still had until he was separated from Yuu. He'd lost track of time, started to drift and work on autopilot, hoping against hope that Steve would keep his promise. (He'd never broken one before.)

Escorted by armed guards (which would make no difference if Bucky truly wanted to run, but as he didn't, it was a moot point), Bucky walked the path back to the exit with legs that felt shaky and weak - purely psychological, he knew. It didn't help.

He stepped out, took a breath-

_"Bear!"_

And let it out, opening his eyes. Yuu was running full-pelt toward him, and Bucky was frozen, relief threatening to overwhelm him.

Then Yuu slammed into his leg and clung there, trembling, and Bucky let out a shaky laugh.

"Yuu," he replied hoarsely, and he reached down to pick the boy up like he weighed nothing more than a feather, and pulled his son to his chest with the intention of never letting go again.

Off to the side, Tony cast both of them a broad, pleased grin, and then turned away.

"I told you I'd do it," he told Steve. And Steve smiled, half apologetic and half relieved.

"Yeah. Yeah, you did."


	32. Twin Talk

Late at night, Allen and Kanda met each other on the common floor.

“You ready for this, sprout?” Kanda asked Allen, trying to smirk but just looking nervous instead. He was rocking slightly on his feet, his loose ruby pajamas swishing restlessly.

“No,” Allen whispered, face pale enough to make his dark scar stand out even more starkly than usual, and his bright yellow footie pajamas didn’t help this any. Kanda snorted.

“Yeah, right,” he muttered scornfully. “You been thinking about this since we talked about it.”

“Doesn’ mean I weady,” Allen returned, shooting Kanda a weak glare.

Kanda bumped Allen, more gently than he’d originally intended. “Whatever, you’ll be fine. Steve and Tasha love you.”

Something in Kanda’s voice made Allen peek up at Kanda worriedly, silver eyes shining in the dark. “You ‘kay too. ‘Cause Bucky won’ evew.”

“Yeah,” Kanda echoed, voice low and rough, eyes on the ground. “Won’t ever.”

Allen smiled at him, trying to be reassuring even when he himself was almost nauseous with nerves.

Maybe they hadn’t actually needed to meet down here before they talked to their parents, but both of them made the unspoken decision that they needed to moral support before they went off, and they needed the other to make sure they wouldn’t back out at the last moment.

It had been easy for Allen, who slept in a separate bed from his parents, but he couldn’t imagine how Kanda had slipped out of the bed he shared with Bucky unnoticed. Bucky was, after all, an assassin. (Then again, the whole point of HYDRA having Bucky raise Kanda had been to teach him assassin techniques.)

“Your parents are liable to notice if you stay away too long,” FRIDAY commented above them, tone as unreadable as ever. Allen looked up and smiled wryly.

“Yeah. Tanks, FWIDAY.”

Kanda gave a put upon huff, but started forward, toward the elevator. Allen tagged along beside him, still pale, but not so unwilling.

Inside the elevator, while FRIDAY silently shut the door. Kanda impulsively reached over and squeezed Allen’s shoulder, looking down to give him a small smirk. “What, are you _scared?”_

Allen, as he’d expected, bristled and brushed him off. “No!”

“Good.”

Kanda left it at that, and the elevator reached his floor first.

“Good luck, Kan’a,” Allen said, smile encouraging. Kanda smirked back at him, a little more confidently than before, and hopped forward.

“Good luck, Yuu,” FRIDAY agreed, voice dipping into far quieter tones. Kanda blinked up at her for a moment, and then nodded once.

“Thanks,” he said, low and gruff, and then hurried on, back to the room he shared with Bucky.

He reached up and grabbed the handle, pushing it in, and then turned and shut it behind him, as quietly as he could manage. He took a deep breath, trying to ease the almost violent tension that had a hold of his body, and then turned around.

Bucky was on the bed, fast asleep, stretched out under the covers and motionless.

Kanda’s hands were shaking.

He glided across the floor and climbed carefully onto the bed, not disturbing it in the slightest, between his light weight and what he’d learned from watching Bucky move. Then he reached out to shake Bucky by the shoulder. “Bear!” he whispered. “Bear, wake up!”

Bucky opened his eyes instantly, which made Kanda wonder if he’d really been asleep in the first place. His brown eyes caught Kanda’s dark blue, and then he sat up so quickly Kanda reeled back.

“Yuu?” Bucky asked, voice low and rough with sleep. Moonlight spilled through the (bulletproof) window, gleaming off his metal arm and washing out both their complexions into an almost-matching pale silver color.

“I need to talk to you,” Kanda said quickly, hands fisting in the loose bedsheets, dark eyes large.

Bucky frowned and reached for the nightstand. With a flick of his fingers, he turned the lamp on, making Kanda wince and squint against the light until his eyes adjusted.

“What is it?” Bucky asked, gaze sharp and intent. Unlike Kanda, all he usually wore to bed was a pair of sweatpants, leaving nothing to hide his scarred chest or his cold metal arm. He reached for Yuu, but Kanda shied away. This wouldn’t be that sort of conversation.

The lamplight was warmer than the moon’s had been, but the shadows were long and stark on the off-white sheets and even the dark, carpeted floor. It didn’t flicker, like a candle did, so the shadows that emphasized the lines of Bucky’s face were bold and still, while the ones on Kanda’s brought out his uncertainty in a way he didn’t like.

“You wanted…” Kanda’s mouth was dry. He glanced away quickly, swallowed, and forced his gaze back to Bucky, who was frowning at him, clearly confused. “You wanted to know about… about the tattoo. And the healing. And the crosses, and how I know English...”

Kanda watched Bucky’s eyes widen, and the man leaned forward slightly, gaze sharpening to a fatal intensity. His breathing slowed, as if he were lining up a shot, and his mouth formed a slight frown of concentration. “You finally ready to tell me?”

Kanda’s eyes shot involuntarily to the bed, and he nodded jerkily. _No cop-outs this time. I have to tell him. I_ **_want_ ** _him to know._

 _I just don’t want him to_ **_leave._ **

Without looking back up, Kanda told Bucky, “Sprout and I made a deal. He’d tell Steve and Tasha if I told you.” He chanced a glance up. Bucky was expressionless, but the intensity of his gaze hadn’t faded at all. Yuu flushed and looked down again, at his clenched fists clutching at white sheets, half-hidden in crimson cotton. “I-I didn’t want to mess with your mind any more than _they_ already had, alright? So I didn’t tell you.”

He swallowed again, something like panic flooding his veins, making his heart race. He hated this, how vulnerable he felt, how much Bucky could affect him, how much he _mattered._

And he wasn’t even going to do anything about it.

Yuu’s tongue felt too big for his mouth, and the words took too long to come. Bucky, above him, was ominously silent.

“I-” Yuu hesitated, but Kanda forced himself, after a moment, to continue. “I… died. A long time ago, in a different world, at twenty-one. And then I came back.” Again.

Silence. Yuu struggled to remember how to breathe, not daring to look up again. Bucky’s shadow was motionless, and he could hardly hear the man breathe, which was more than he could say for himself.

“That isn’t funny, Yuu,” Bucky said at last, audibly disappointed.

Yuu flinched, and his breath hitched. He lifted one hand and almost reached to touch his shoulder, but instead, he clenched his fist and pressed it to his chest. “No, it’s not.” The memory of a knife ripping through his flesh, rattling against his ribs, drifted through his mind. He smiled, bitter and raw and half-hidden in shadow.

No, it wasn’t funny at all.

More silence. Yuu felt the bed heave as Bucky shifted, and then a loud breath, full of frustration.

“You’re not joking,” Bucky said blankly, voice heavy and dull. Yuu shook his head fervently.

Silence.

 _Say something, stupid bear. Say_ **_something._ **

Yuu dropped his fist from his chest back to the bed, kneeling like he was begging for forgiveness, with his legs tucked underneath him and his clenched fists tucked close, hunched over but sitting up. The thought made Kanda twitch with the urge to change positions, but he didn’t move. He clenched his jaw and scowled down, frustrated tears pricking at his eyes.

 _Say_ **_something._ **

“English?” Bucky asked at last. His voice was rough, scraped raw. Kanda’s heart clenched anxiously.

“My second language,” Kanda muttered, hunching over further. “Chinese was my first.”

“You’re Japanese.”

“Raised in China.” Sort of.

Bucky hadn’t really reacted yet; his voice was still emotionless and even, if strained. Kanda got up the courage to glance at his face again and found that Bucky was looking away from him, staring a hole in the wall. He looked back down.

“The tattoo?” Bucky prompted. Now it was the hollowness of his tone that was unnerving Kanda. He bit his lip but answered anyway.

“It’s… from last time. It’s a curse, so it stayed. A spell.”

Bucky took a deep breath, and Kanda saw him move so that his human hand was covering his forehead, eyes closing. Kanda swallowed.

He shouldn’t feel this desperate.

“The healing?”

“Function of the curse.”

“Some curse.”

“...Yeah.” Bucky had no idea. Fuck, Kanda was going to have to _tell_ him.

But not now. Not now.

“And the crosses?” Bucky sounded like he was holding something back now. His breaths were getting deeper and more labored, his brow starting to furrow in something like frustration. Before, Kanda couldn’t look at him; now he couldn’t take his eyes off him.

“Something called Innocence. A weapon. I’ll make a sword with them one day.”

Silence. Kanda bit his cheek so hard he tasted blood, but of course, the cut sealed up a second later.

Finally, Bucky let out a harsh, rattling huff, and scrubbed a hand over his face tiredly. Kanda watched him anxiously.

“Have you _ever_ been honest with me?” he asked at last, sounding almost plaintive.

Kanda almost flinched again. Then worry and fear turned into frustration, and he jerked his head to the side, scowling. His arms came up to cross tightly against his chest.

“I told you, I didn’t want to mess with your mind,” he snapped defensively, eyes burning in a manner that frustrated Kanda even more. His breath stuttered and he forced it to even out again. “I never lied to you, okay? Not _once._ I just…” He gritted his teeth. “Didn’t tell you stuff, either.”

Bucky didn’t say anything. Kanda bristled a little, still looking to the side.

“I wanted to, okay? I was just… I didn’t want things to be weird. And this is weird.” Kanda’s gaze slid back to Bucky, who was staring back tiredly, and tears pricked at his eyes. “Just… _say_ something! Yell at me! Tell me it’s fine, tell me it’s not, hit me, just… _something,_ you _stupid_ bear!”

Bucky laughed.

It wasn’t a happy laugh, or even an amused one, but it was real - exhausted and a little strange, but real, and just the sound of it made a relieved flush steal across Kanda’s face, a small, hesitant smile curving his lips as he looked up at Bucky. The shadows of his face were still stark in the lamplight, but this time, instead of softening his face, they made it bolder and brighter.

Bucky smiled, ironic and wry, and reached for Kanda to ruffle his hair. Kanda ducked his head but didn’t try very hard, and Bucky pulled him over to settle him against his side.

“Christ,” Bucky muttered, looking down to meet Kanda’s gaze as the boy peeked up at him in return. “I never thought it’d be something like _that.”_

Kanda shrugged and glanced away. “Aren’t you gonna yell at me?” he asked doubtfully. “I kept it from you for a long time.”

“Yeah,” Bucky agreed, a note of disappointment back in his voice. “Yeah, you did. And I’m not happy about it. But you were scared. I’m not gonna yell at you for being scared, understand?”

Kanda relaxed. He hadn’t even realized he was so tense until Bucky said that, but… “Oh.”

“So you mentioned that you and Allen made a deal to _both_ tell your parents,” Bucky said suddenly, and Kanda nodded. “Did it happen to him too?”

“Yeah,” Kanda confirmed quietly, letting his gaze fall to the door. “Him and the rabbit. We... knew each other.” He hesitated, and then, feeling Bucky shift to frown down at him, he added reluctantly, “We’re wondering if Lenalee’s around somewhere, too. And… others.” Marie, Daisya, Tiedoll, Miranda, Link… He clenched his fists subconsciously.

“We can find out,” Bucky said decisively. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Yuu let his head fall against Bucky’s chest and felt the man’s large metal arm, thicker at the bicep than his neck was now, and took a deep breath, suddenly exhausted. “Course it is, stupid bear.”

Above him, Bucky chuckled, and Yuu felt the assassin take him gently by the shoulders, cradling his head like he was a baby, and set him down so he was lying, stretched out. Then Bucky laid down beside him, and, subconsciously, Yuu pressed back into him.

A moment later, he fell asleep.

Allen reached up for the doorknob. Stopped. Pulled his hand back. And then his expression firmed and he reached for it again, only to falter and stop.

He’d been standing in front of the door for some time, trying to work up the courage to go inside and do what he’d promised to do - what he _wanted_ to do. But for some reason, he couldn’t. He just couldn’t.

After what felt like forever, the door opened and Natasha, wearing her normal violet sleepwear, appeared in the frame, looking down at him quizzically. He flinched back, startled, silver eyes wide, and she frowned, crouching down in front of him.

“Hey, little angel,” she said quietly, watching him shiver. She reached out and took his hand and held it, and just that was enough to steady Allen. “What are out doing out here, huh?”

“Uh,” Allen said intelligently.

Natasha chuckled softly. “Never mind, Allen. Come in here. It’s past time for little angels to be asleep.”

Allen nodded hesitantly and let Natasha rise, gently tugging him inside and then shutting the door behind him. On the big bed, Steve was stirring, starting to sit up and squint at them with almost comical sleepiness. It made Allen giggle a little.

“Allen?” Steve muttered, rubbing a hand over one side of his face and sitting up a little more. “Something wrong?”

Allen’s smile faded, and Natasha looked down at him sharply, fond amusement melting into worry. “Allen?”

Allen flushed and glanced down, squirming in place a little. He bit his lip and scuffed a foot against the ground. He really didn’t want to talk about this. He wanted them to know, he wanted to _stop hiding,_ but he didn’t want to talk about this.

He was scared.

Allen _hated_ being scared.

Allen let go of Natasha’s hand and scurried over to the bed, and then started to struggle to pull himself up onto it. Without thinking, Steve reached over and helped him on, starting to wake up a little. He glanced up, frowning, and met Natasha’s eyes. Natasha gave a minute shrug and crossed to room again to sit on the edge of the bed, half-turned to face her boys but keeping her feet on the ground. It was dark in the room, with just enough light to see by; Allen’s white hair stood out starkly, but his exposed arm nearly blended in.

Allen looked at Steve with big eyes, opened his mouth, closed it, and then looked at Natasha, flinched guiltily, and looked down at his fingers.

Over Allen’s head, Steve and Natasha locked their gazes, communicating silently over this strange and definitely concerning behavior. Steve gave his wife a worried look, and Natasha returned with a minute shrug and a thoughtful, brief glance at Allen, who didn’t even notice. Steve frowned slightly, but Natasha nodded, and he sighed, levering himself up so he was sitting up completely. His grey t-shirt, which had ridden up to expose his stomach, dropped back down to his shorts.

“Take your time,” Natasha said patiently, and Allen swallowed and nodded, shoulders tense.

Allen, now, in the moment of truth, had forgotten every way he’d thought of that he could possibly say this. Nothing came to mind, nothing from all the hours he’d spent wondering. There was just the nervous energy that thrummed in his veins and the blankness of his mind, so fearful he was almost numb.

As the silence stretched on longer and longer, Steve’s brow started to furrow with worry, and even Natasha grew tense, frowning. Steve’s eyes flicked up to Natasha’s again, and Natasha nodded in agreement; this wasn’t like Allen, and it definitely wasn’t like an ordinary two-year-old.

And Natasha had figured out a long time ago that those weren’t the same thing anyway.

Finally, after a long time, Allen laughed a little, soft and self-deprecating, sharply asynchronous with his tiny, chubby face, painted in subtle shadows. “Use t’be bettew a’ tawkin’ t’people,” he murmured.

Natasha’s eyes widened slightly, unnoticed by Allen, and Steve inhaled sharply. Allen caught that, Natasha noticed - he tensed, breath hitching slightly in obvious fear. Natasha took a deep breath to calm herself and probed carefully,

“You’re not normally this articulate.”

She caught Steve’s frown but didn’t look up; her word choice had been deliberate, a stab practically in the dark, but Allen was too mature, mentally and emotionally, too developed.

Sure enough, Allen nodded. “It hawd t’tawk,” he explained softly, still staring at his hands.

“But you have something to say,” Steve prompted, scooting over to mirror Natasha on Allen’s other side. His muscles flexed and tensed subtly, the only betrayal of his stress.

“Yeah,” Allen agreed, voice high and nervous. They waited for a few more minutes, the tension in the room rising to almost unbearable levels, and Allen bit his lip again. Finally, he started, stuttering and hesitant, “I… You know I no’ nowmal, wight?” For this, he glanced hesitantly at Natasha, who nodded in silent confirmation.

“I was a little slower to pick it up than Tasha was, but we noticed,” Steve confirmed more vocally, brow still furrowed.

“Well…” Allen hesitated again, and then forced himself to pick up. “Lavi isn’, eitew, an’... Yuu.”

“That’s true,” Natasha said neutrally.

“We use t’know each othew,” Allen continued, fumbling slightly, edging around the subject in a way he knew wasn’t helping. “Cap…” He glanced up at Steve, who gave him a small, encouraging smile even past the worry in his eyes. “Tony tol’ me… tha’ you fwom nineteen-fowties. An’ you go’ fwozen.”

Steve’s eyes iced over briefly - that hadn’t been Tony’s story to tell. Allen flinched, and he looked away sharply, took a breath, and looked back, having cleared his anger away for later. “Yeah, that’s right,” he confirmed, wondering what relevance that had, or if that was indeed the issue - if it had been a recent revelation, he supposed it could upset Allen enough for this.

But Allen didn’t seem to be done.

“I didn’ ge’ fwozen,” Allen said softly. “An’ Yuu didn’, an’ Lavi didn’.”

“Oh, yeah?” Steve tried to make it sound humorous, sound funny, grinning at Allen even as familiar ice gripped his heart. “When are you from, then?”

Allen looked up at Steve, and there was no mirth in those large, anxious silver eyes.

“Eighteen seven’y-five,” he answered, almost too quiet to hear.

Steve stopped breathing.

No. There was absolutely no way. It didn’t even make any sense, Allen couldn’t mean what Steve thought he meant, he was being ridiculous-

Natasha lifted her eyes to meet his, lifted a finger to her lips, and then asked Allen,

“If you didn’t get frozen, what happened?”

Allen’s gaze transferred from pale Steve to Natasha. Steve almost would’ve thought that Natasha was taking this well, too well, but her tone was too controlled, her breathing too even. Natasha was panicking just as badly as he was, and somehow, it made him feel a little better.

Better than that, Allen seemed to fall for it, and he smiled uncertainly, nervously, and said, “I go’ killed. Den bown ‘gain. To _hew.”_ His nose crinkled. It was almost funny. Except really not.

“Born again,” Natasha repeated quietly. Allen, eyes fixed on her, nodded hesitantly. She reached out, gently took him by the chin, and tilted his head back to look at him better. For a long time, they stayed like that, and then, finally, Natasha grimaced slightly and let go, moving her hand to rest on his instead, tightening and loosening convulsively. His hand laid limply under hers, trusting and unbothered. “...I suppose it does explain. Some things.”

“Oh,” Steve managed, pale, heart racing in a way it hardly ever did anymore. He managed a grin anyway. “It figures. No way we were going to pick up a normal kid.”

Allen gave Steve a hesitant, hopeful smile.

“Lavi and Yuu are… like this, too,” he said softly, slowly. “Yuu’s tellin’ Bucky now, ‘cause we pwomised.” He glanced down guiltily. “Didn’ wanna keep i’ a secwet anymowe.”

“I’m glad,” Steve told Allen honestly, and Allen’s face lit up with a much brighter smile now.

“I am, too,” Natasha put in, and Allen turned again to look at her. She was smiling down at him - a little stranger than Steve’s, smaller and softer, with a studious sort of quality to it, but a smile nonetheless. “Thank you for telling us.”

Allen smiled brightly at her, too.

“So Bucky’s finding out just now…” Steve said slowly, thoughtfully. “What about Pepper and Stark? Is Lavi telling them?”

Allen blushed guiltily and looked back down.

“Lavi tol’ dem long time ‘go,” he admitted quietly. He looked up at Steve pleadingly. “Me and Yuu didn’ wan’ ‘em t’tell. Don’ be mad a’ dem!”

The anger that had started to bud in Steve’s eyes when Allen had admitted that Tony knew was suppressed as soon as it rose, and Steve huffed softly.

“Alright, I won’t get mad,” he agreed resignedly. “I suppose, if you didn’t want him to…”

Allen nodded quickly, eyes almost comically wide. Natasha chuckled softly.

“You’re something else,” she murmured, running a hand briefly through his hair, stunned to her core but refusing to show it with the ease of long practice. On Allen’s other side, Steve seemed to be taking it a little better, but his shock was clear, too, to her.

Allen smiled at her again, and then his face split in a yawn.

“You’re right,” Natasha agreed, as if Allen had made a statement. “It’s late. Time to go to sleep.”

Allen smiled shyly and nodded, and while normally, this was when he would roll off the bed and go to his own, this time Steve pulled the little boy between them. Natasha agreed - both of them needed the assurance that he was still their little boy, and Allen probably needed to know that he was still welcome.

Sure enough, Allen didn’t object. The two adults laid down on either side of him, leaving Allen squished between them.

Natasha closed her eyes and pretended to go to sleep (though she knew she wouldn’t be sleeping for hours) and then she heard,

“Night, Mommy. Night, Daddy.”

A small smile curved her lips, and she felt Steve reach over and squeeze her arm, somehow conveying every bit of his happiness in that one small movement.

Beside her, Allen’s breathing evened out as he fell asleep, peaceful and probably relieved.

Natasha sighed and prepared herself for a long, long night.

As if by mutual, unspoken agreement, Bucky, Steve, and Natasha all found themselves downstairs in the living room in the early hours of the morning. As it turned out, though, they had so many things to talk about that instead of actually talking, they wound up staring at each other silently. Finally, Bucky summed it up.

“What the _fuck.”_

“What he said,” Natasha agreed tiredly, a rarely-seen slump to her shoulders. Steve laughed, strained but genuine.

“Did Yuu say the same thing Allen did?” Steve asked Bucky, trying to make it sound funny and failing miserably.

“Was it about reincarnation?” Bucky returned with a tired grin and a slightly crazed gleam in his eyes. “Because in that case, yes, yes he did.”

Steve buried his face in one hand. “Is it just me, or is the world getting steadily more absurd with time?”

Bucky laughed, and if the sound was a little wild, no one was going to call him on it just now. “Not just you, Stevie. Definitely not just you.”

“So, Lavi tells me you three had a hard night.”

All three of them looked over to find Tony in the doorway, arms crossed, with a smirk on his face but a dim, understanding gleam in his eyes.

Regardless, Natasha was _not in the mood_ to deal with Stark’s antics. “Cut to the chase, Stark.”

Sure enough, Tony’s smile vanished, and he strode over to drop into a chair, a rare, serious look on his face.

“How much did they tell you?” he asked.

“How long have you known?” Steve returned, sharper than he’d maybe intended. “And why the _hell_ would you tell Allen where I came from without asking me first?”

Tony let his gaze sharpen into a mild glare. “I’ve known about Lavi for three years, and Allen and Yuu since before they got here.” He caught Bucky’s stricken look and huffed out a frustrated sigh. “It’s nothing against you - Lavi told me that Yuu just doesn’t like sharing in general. Allen doesn’t either.” Forcibly returning to Steve’s question, he continued, “And I told him because, Capsicle, they needed to know they weren’t the only ones to ever have trouble adjusting to a new time period.”

Steve paled sharply, and Natasha bit out a short curse in Russian. Bucky hissed.

“Shit,” Bucky muttered. “We need to-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Tony interrupted, giving Bucky an arrogant, if slightly forced, smirk. “I’ve been taking care of most of the problems that’ve cropped up there so far.”

Steve’s jaw tightened, and with a hint of guilt, he wondered if Tony had been handling this as well, on top of everything else, over the past few months. If he had-

Steve thought he might owe Tony an apology. (But he was still unwilling to compromise on the SHRA. Even more now he knew the kids fell under that umbrella as well.)

“Expect to be interrogated on that later,” Natasha told him firmly. “But first, there’s something you don’t want to tell us. Spit it out.”

“This is why I don’t like you,” complained Tony, and Steve’s gaze sharpened, because while he normally would have just put that comment down to Stark being Stark, there was a look in his eyes that clearly showed that he was genuinely uncomfortable.

Bucky muttered a foul curse. “There’s more.” It wasn’t really a question.

“So much more,” Tony admitted. “Did either of them mention how they died?”

Bucky sat up sharply, his eyes narrowing. “...No.”

Natasha’s jaw clenched at the reminder. “Allen said he was _killed.”_

Steve hadn’t caught that. He’d been a little distracted by what came after.

Bucky let out a long, vehement stream of words not appropriate for children’s ears. Natasha was as stiff as a hardwood board, and Steve took a deep breath and held it, eyes shut tight and teeth gritted.

When he judged them done, Tony nodded, solemn again in a way he only let himself be for Lavi and sometimes Pepper.

“Lavi told me that all three of them worked as exorcists for an organization called the Black Order,” Tony explained carefully, watching the others’ reactions. “And that in itself was a difficult, dangerous job that Lavi still _refuses to tell me about,_ but that isn’t what killed them.”

Normally, when Tony got this much undivided attention, he enjoyed it. But there were absolutely no words for how much he didn’t want to tell them this. Probably because there were no words to convey how much he wished they weren’t true.

“All of them,” Tony continued, “everyone who worked for the Order in that capacity, were tracked down and killed by a former partner organization, the CROW, because of their capabilities.”

Steve was not sure how to properly vent his feelings on this whole situation. Setting everything on fire seemed inadequate.

‘Overwhelmed’ was not nearly a strong enough word for it.

That announcement left a heavy silence over the group of four, which made plenty of room for the sound of Lavi’s voice.

“Don’t be a baby, Yuu!”

“Easy for you to say, stupid rabbit!”

“Yeah! ‘Cause Mom and Dad took it fine, and so did Bucky, right?”

 _“No!_ He went quiet! He’s mad!”

Bucky started violently and went to stand up, but the motion was quickly rendered unnecessary.

Lavi appeared in the doorway, dragging Yuu forward with quite a lot of effort. Yuu was stumbling along behind him, scowling and tugging at his hand. Behind both of them, Allen was tagging along, looking a little subdued and still tired from the late night, rubbing one eye sleepily.

“Bucky, tell Yuu you aren’t mad!” Lavi insisted on seeing them, but there was something a little sharper and more calculating in his eyes than Natasha might have expected.

A small smirk crossed Bucky’s face, and he nodded, leaned forward, and held out a hand expectantly, eyes on Yuu, who looked back almost warily. “I’m not mad,” he said patiently. “I told you last night.”

Yuu made a doubtful sound, but pulled free of Lavi’s grip to edge forward, and then finally pull himself up beside Bucky. When Bucky didn’t react in any negative way, he relaxed, and Bucky blew out a long breath, unable to stop looking at him.

_He was murdered. He lived for twenty-one years, took a dangerous job that needed a lot of skill, and then was murdered._

_Yuu was murdered._

_...Not this time. Not over my dead body._

Still by the door, Allen hovered uncertainly, and Lavi whined.

“Allen, not you too!”

Allen sent his friend a reproachful look and, likely in direct defiance, scurried over to Natasha and stared up at her hopefully. She gave him a small smile, ignored the clench in her chest, and reached down to help him pull himself up to sit between her and Steve.

Comfortably seated there, he smiled up at her, then at Steve, and then said hesitantly, “Hi, Daddy. Hi, Mommy.”

It was clearly a test, to see how they’d react, but still, Natasha couldn’t stop a small smile from spreading across her face, warmth settling in to being to replace the cold. Beside her, Steve said warmly,

“Good morning, Allen.”

“About time!” Lavi cheered, sounding pleased as anything.

Allen giggled softly, sounding happier and more relaxed than Natasha thought she’d maybe ever seen him. He peeked up at her, a little worried but mostly delighted, and asked, “Okay?”

She smiled at him. “Okay,” she confirmed.

And if it wasn’t now, it would be soon.

A second later, she commented,

“We’re going to have to tell the other Avengers, you realize.”

Reactions were mixed but generally positive. Of all of them, Vision had obviously been the most understanding, having already had a pretty solid idea. Rhodey and Sam weren’t far behind, and then Scott, classifying it as ‘just another weird thing’. Wanda, perhaps, took it the hardest, and then she disappeared with Allen as normal and when they returned, they both seemed perfectly content. (Maria had paled sharply and hurried away somewhere. Natasha didn’t even know, for once, what was going through the woman’s mind.)

Lavi still really wanted to know what they were doing.

Now, though, it was movie night, and all of them were assembled together with dim lights and a movie onscreen, family movie somewhat more mature than they’re grown used to in a healthy compromise between their current and past ages.

Yuu was leaning forward, eyes intent on the screen while a robot wheeled around compacting trash. Allen was curled into Natasha’s side, with Steve’s hand stroking his forearm absently. Lavi, sitting beside Pepper with Tony on her other side, was just as attentive as Yuu, green eyes bright.

Partway through the movie, Pepper murmured softly to Lavi, “Has everything gone as well as you hoped?”

Lavi gave her a big smile and nodded, taking his eyes off the screen. “Yeah. ‘Cause Yuu and Allen aren’t upset anymore, and Dad’s working to get Bucky free for good, right?”

“That’s right,” Pepper confirmed with a small smile. “The trial is in a few months, and that’s more than enough time for your father to prepare.”

Lavi nodded firmly, as if that settled it. “Then everything’s okay!” he declared, and then deflated suddenly. “...Or. It will be.” Softer, “I really wanna see Lenalee again. She’d be so happy.”

“You will,” Pepper promised, adding silently, _No matter what I have to do to manage it._

Across the room, Bucky glanced down at Yuu, who was still as intent on the screen as he had been when the movie started. A small smile, fond and amused, crossed his face, and Yuu tore his attention away to frown up at him. “What?” he asked, a little grumpy.

Bucky chuckled. “You’re just the same as you were,” he explained.

The look in Bucky’s eyes was enough to make Yuu squirm uncomfortably and glance away. “‘Course I am,” he muttered mulishly. “Nothing changed, stupid bear. I just told you stuff.”

“Yeah,” Bucky agreed, amused. “Thanks.”

Yuu flushed bright red. “Whatever,” he mumbled, embarrassed.

Halfway through the movie, Allen’s eyelids started to droop, and he let out a soft yawn. Natasha reached over to smooth his hair away from his face, and he squinted up at her quizzically. She just smiled, strange and enigmatic to Allen’s eyes.

“Go to sleep, little angel,” she told him. “It looks like you need it.”

Allen blinked at her, and then nodded, closing his eyes. “‘Kay, Mommy,” he mumbled, letting his head fall. Natasha glanced up to see Steve smiling at both of them, and then she smiled back and turned her attention back to the screen, to an ancient robot fleeing from a steering wheel.

Maria wanted to say that exorcists were suddenly falling from the sky. She wanted to say that, because that was what it felt like.

Except, she had known her niece for twelve years now, and it had been years since she’d had more than perhaps a passing thought that she was at all strange. And yet.

After Tony - because of course Tony had known, he had a knack for finding out things he really shouldn’t know - had told her where Lavi, Allen, and Yuu came from, the first thing she’d done was to go and demand the list of exorcists from Agent Johnson, because Maria refused to be blindsided again.

Except she had. Because of the list.

_Miranda._

Listed as being nine years older than Lenalee, so, currently twelve years old. Formerly Miranda Lotto, served as an exorcist for two years.

Currently Miranda Hill, fidgeting nervously in the passenger’s seat of her car, shooting her anxious looks every so often.

“I’m sorry,” Miranda repeated again, sounding miserable.

Maria sighed and didn’t close her eyes only because she needed to see to drive. “It’s okay,” she said tiredly. First Lenalee, then Link, both of whom she’d known, then Allen, her godson, and Yuu and Lavi-

And now her niece. Wasn’t she supposed to notice these things? How was it that she’d been blindsided _every time?_

Well. Maybe not exactly blindsided, this time. Miranda had the same marks on her wrists.

She hadn’t made the connection in time.

Miranda blew out an anxious breath, leaning forward slightly as if willing herself to be able to see through the buildings to their destination. “Are they…” She hesitated, and then continued on, “Are they really there? Allen and Lavi and Kanda?”

Kanda was, apparently, what Yuu had once gone by. Maria wondered what had changed.

“Yes, they’re really there,” Maria confirmed, making a sharp turn. “But they didn’t tell their parents until about three days ago.”

Miranda made a soft sound, at once content and worried. “They were always braver than I was,” she said quietly. Maria glanced at her, but she didn’t look self-deprecating, as she normally did. Instead, she was smiling at the dashboard, looking wistful.

“You never told your father?” Maria asked, though she _had_ thought that her older brother (Nicholas Hill, widower, three years her elder, worked as an accountant) would tell her if Miranda had told him.

Miranda shook her head quickly. “I could never!” she whispered, almost as if she were still afraid to be heard. “He would get so upset.”

Maria supposed that she was technically correct. “I think he’d want to know.”

Miranda faltered. “You… you do?”

“Everyone else who’s learned wished they’d been told sooner,” Maria told her firmly.

“Oh…” Miranda whispered, wilting. “I’ll… I can… I’ll tell him when we get back. Okay?”

Maria smiled at her, paused at an intersection. “Yes, that’s good, Miranda. Thank you.”

Miranda gave her a bright smile, eyes sparkling the same as ever. Maria sighed.

It was just as Bucky had said. They were the same as they always had been. They just knew more about them now.

It was still disconcerting.

She finally reached the place she normally parked, not far from the tower, and got out of the car. Miranda scrambled after her, stumbled, and Maria steadied her absently before taking her hand out of habit and leading her to the tower.

She glanced down and caught her niece looking up with wide eyes, taking in the tower, and she smiled slightly. “Impressive, isn’t it?” Maria asked conversationally. “Don’t tell Stark, it’ll go to his head.”

Miranda giggled. “So they live here?” she asked.

Maria nodded, opening the door. “Lavi, all his life. The other two, for a little over a year now.”

Miranda made a small, disconcerted sound. “I wish I’d paid more attention to the news,” she said ruefully. “I know I heard Lavi’s name before, I just… I didn’t think it would be _Lavi.”_

“It is a bit of a stretch,” Maria agreed with a frown. _Once is chance, twice is coincidence, three times… is a pattern._

And this was a lot more than three times.

Miranda didn’t notice, though. As soon as they’d stepped onto the elevator, her fidgeting had increased tenfold, pulling at the hem of her sleeves anxiously, eyes wide and darting around, worried.

“I hope they’re okay,” she murmured worriedly. “They’ve always had such bad luck, and they- How old are they?”

“Allen is two, and Lavi and Yuu are both five,” Maria told her, wondering if she should tell her niece that their bad luck streak appeared to have continued, considering Allen and Yuu’s respective points of origin.

Miranda’s eyes widened, and her mouth fell open in a small ‘o’. “I realized they were younger than me, but…” She bit her lip hard, stopping herself, and Maria sighed and nodded.

“Realizing how young your coworkers are,” she said softly, “can be a bit of a shock, can’t it?”

Of course, she’d never fought to the death by the side of a teenager before. At least she had the small comfort of knowing that Miranda had been an adult.

Miranda nodded silently, then gave Maria a quick smile and added, “I’m glad, though, to know that you’ll take care of Allen if… if something goes wrong.”

“I would for any of them,” Maria said firmly. “And, of course, for you.”

Miranda blushed lightly, and she nodded shyly.

At that moment, the elevator opened onto the common floor, and Maria led Miranda toward the living room, where the Avengers were often most easily found.

Sure enough, they were there now - Wanda was bouncing Allen in the air above her, hands glowing absently and both of them giggling like children. Lavi and Yuu were working together on a puzzle, helped every so often by Scott, who spent most of the time watching them thoughtfully, while Steve and Bucky argued over something on the screen and Natasha and Pepper sat on a different couch, talking amiably.

Miranda let out a happy squeaking sound beside her that made Maria stifle a fond smile, and when she looked down, Miranda was covering her mouth, cheeks red and eyes sparkling.

“They’re so happy,” she whispered, sounding pretty happy herself.

The sound of her voice made Allen look up, and he froze, silver eyes wide. Then a wide, excited beam overtook his face, and he started to struggle. “Down, down!” he requested urgently.

Somewhat taken aback, Wanda quickly lowered him to the ground, and he cast her a grin before running, with no small amount of stumbling, across the floor, drawing just about everyone else’s attention over as well.

“Miwanda!” he called gleefully, and, reaching her, plastered himself to her side in a hug, eyes bright and delighted. “You ‘kay!”

“Allen,” she breathed, sounding at once shocked and something like awed.

Lavi popped up at that moment, grinning at her. He waved. “Miranda! Finally!”

Miranda laughed wetly as Lavi scrambled over to her as well, and Yuu followed after at a deliberately slower pace, and Pepper raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Maria, who shrugged in return, offering a small, reluctant smile. Pepper returned that with a warm one.

“Tank you,” Allen said suddenly, looking at Maria with a smaller, shyer smile. Maria cocked an eyebrow in question, and he elaborated, “Fo bwingin’ Miwanda hewe.”

Maria sighed, smiled, and sat down, where Lavi and Allen had, through combined effort and subtle support from Yuu, brought Miranda down laughing.

“Actually,” she said, drawing all of their attention. “It’s not just you four.”

Their eyes widened, and it was immediately clear that she had all of their attention.

“At SHIELD…” She hesitated, and then continued, “There are, at the moment, four more exorcists that I know of.”

“Noise?” Miranda blurted out instantly, eyes wide and pleading, one hand shooting up to clap over her mouth. The other three perked up as well, hopeful.

Maria smiled, glad she could offer them this good news. “Yes, Noise is one of them.” Miranda let out a sound that was a cross between a sob and a laugh, and Lavi gave her a grin and a nudge. “There is also Lenalee, and Klaud, and Link.”

“Oh,” Allen breathed, and Lavi cheered. Yuu’s smile was smaller and stranger, but it was genuine. Maria couldn’t help but be curious, wondering how close they were.

Apparently eager to be helpful, Lavi told Maria, “Lenalee and Yuu were friends for a really long time! And me and her, and Allen…” He trailed off, smiling big. “Not as long as Lenalee and Yuu, right, Yuu?” Yuu shrugged. “But we were really close!”

“Be glad t’see Link ‘gain,” Allen added softly, and Lavi glanced at him, frowning suddenly.

“You sure?” he asked, and Maria wished she didn’t understand that. But Allen nodded firmly.

“I suwe.”

“Okay…” Still a little doubtful, Lavi looked back, but before he could add anything, Miranda did.

“Noise and I were together,” she confessed, and Maria’s eyes widened slightly, protectiveness surging through her despite the knowledge that Miranda had been a full-grown woman at the time, not the small, slight preteen she was now. “He was…”

“He had the ring,” Lavi said suddenly, sounding abruptly regretful. Miranda nodded.

“Well,” Maria said firmly, “he’ll get another chance. Because you’ll see him again. Understand?”

Miranda gave her a big smile through unshed tears. “Okay.”

Taking back control, Maria told them, “Link is the director’s nephew, and Lenalee is the daughter of a senior agent, so it may be difficult to get all of you in quickly - but I’ll do it as soon as I can.”

All of them looked a little disappointed, but Miranda, at last, nodded firmly.

“Thank you,” she said, with the intense sincerity only she could manage, and leaned forward to hug Maria tightly. Maria surrendered a little of her hard-kept aloofness to hug her back.

“Anything,” she murmured, only for Miranda’s ears, and felt Miranda smile.

One thing was for sure. These kids needed to be together.

It might be the only thing that helped them keep their minds.


	33. Consolidation

“You’re doing it wrong.”

Lenalee hid a good-natured giggle at Link’s frustrated expression. She placed the plastic teacup back onto the plastic saucer and asked, “What am I doin’ wrong?”

“You…” Link flapped one hand in frustration.

Lenalee laughed at him.

For a game that had been Link’s idea, he sure was having a hard time explaining the rules.

“Hey, you two.”

Lenalee’s head shot up, and her startled brown eyes met Simmons’ kind smile. Link imitated her with a quizzical frown, slightly slower.

“Lenalee, Link, Director Coulson got a call from someone I think you’ll both be  _ very  _ happy to hear from.”

Link tilted his head and frowned at her, puzzled, but Lenalee just shrugged and, abandoning the pretend tea set, crawled out from under the table, hopping up to give Simmons an expectant look. Link followed a minute later.

“He’s in his office,” Simmons added, and Lenalee suddenly noticed the breathlessness of her voice, the excited flush of her cheeks.

Link nodded and took off, trotting ahead of both of them. Lenalee hung back slightly to pester Simmons.

“Who is it?” she wanted to know, craning her neck to squint suspiciously up at Simmons.

“It’s a surprise,” Simmons hedged teasingly. At Lenalee’s exasperated look, she laughed and added, “But I’m assured that they’re some quite good friends of yours.”

It took a moment. It took a moment, but then it clicked, and her eyes widened, hope rising in her chest.

Simmons’ laugh followed her down the hall.

She was still running when she caught up to Link, grabbed him by the wrist, and urged him to go faster. Sending her urgency, he obeyed, though not without question.

Lenalee slipped them both past security and straight into Coulson’s office, no time for niceties now. Link was panting a little, frowning.

“What is it? What?”

“Uncle Phil, Uncle Phil!” Lenalee chanted instead of answering, releasing Link to go and hop at Coulson, who looked distinctly amused. “Is i’ true, is i’ true?”

“I thought I told Simmons not to tell you,” Coulson mused, smiling at both of them.

“What am I missing?” Link complained, crossing his arms and huffing.

_ “Kids! They’re here!” _

Lenalee didn’t recognize the man’s voice, and nearly wilted. Link frowned, more confused than ever, until…

_ “Hey! Lenalee! Link! You there?” _

“Lavi!” Lenalee burst out, nearly squealing with happiness. Link’s eyes has widened, and he froze in place, but Lenalee scrambled over to Coulson to try to get a boost onto his desk, closer to the source of the voice. He allowed it with a fond smile, and then lifted Link to follow a second later, the older boy dangling his legs over the edge.  _ “Lavi!” _

_ “Lenalady!” _

That was Lavi again, sounding thrilled, but not just him. Lenalee’s eyes filled with happy tears.

“Allen! I missed you! Both of you!” She clasped her hands together, tears starting to spill down her cheeks. She couldn’t stop smiling.

_ “It’s good you’re safe.” _

This voice was a mutter, but Lenalee could have cried. Well, cried more. “Kanda!”

_ “...Yeah.” _

Link looked incredulous where Lenalee was tearful, brown eyes wide and shocked, mouth fallen open slightly. Finally, though, he managed, slightly hoarse, “A-Allen? Lavi? Kanda?”

A brief silence fell over the group, and a frown crossed Coulson’s face as Link deflated. Lenalee frowned, worried, but then Allen piped up,

_ “Hi, Link!” _

“...Hi,” Link muttered uncomfortably. And then, hastily, “I, um, I-”

_ “It’s ‘kay!”  _ Allen piped up before Link could finish, and Link looked like he could have collapsed with relief. Coulson smiled and ruffled his hair, and Link pushed his hand away halfheartedly, shooting him a rueful, abashed smile.  _ “Twust you! Awe you both ‘kay?” _

“Yeah, we’re okay,” Lenalee promised, giggling wetly. She looked at Link and smiled brightly, eyes sparkling, and he grinned back unrestrainedly. “What about you? Are all of you?”

_ “We’re fine!”  _ Lavi said happily.  _ “We’re good here at Dad’s tower, promise. It’s amazing, Lenalee, you’ll love them!” _

“Them?” Lenalee asked with interest, looking at Coulson quizzically. Link perked up and gave him an almost anxious look, silently echoing the question.

Content thus far to let them speak - God knows they’d waited long enough - Coulson smiled at both of them reassuringly. “Your friends found their way to various members of the Avengers,” he explained. “The three of them are living together at Avengers Tower at the moment.”

“Oh,” Lenalee breathed, wide-eyed. Then she beamed. “That’s good for them!”

Link nodded in agreement, kicking his feet gently in the air. “Are you happy?” he asked them quietly, eyes fixed on the speaker.

_ “Yeah,”  _ Allen promised. Surprisingly enough, it was Kanda who affirmed it.

_ “Like the stupid rabbit said, we’re good here. The team’s a weirdo family, but it’s…” _

_ “It’s a good one,”  _ Lavi finished for him, when Kanda seemed unable to.

Lenalee smiled through her tears. “I’m glad. I’m really glad.”

_ “Wha’ ‘bout you?”  _ Allen piped up.  _ “Wha’ i’ like thewe?” _

Lenalee beamed, and Link smiled a little too, and the five of them would have traded stories for hours, if Coulson had let them. As it was, he only got them to stop by promising a meeting, sooner rather than later.

Not that he wouldn’t have anyway.

The sounds of smacks and thuds echoed through the gym. In the middle of the room, Bucky and Scott sparred atop a mat. Scott was sweating and panting to keep up, but Bucky was clearly distracted.

“This explains a lot, you know.”

Scott’s slightly dazed voice made Bucky stiffen in place, but he still caught Scott’s incoming blow effortlessly. “Like what?” He asked, sharper than he’d intended.

Once, that would have intimidated Scott into retraction. Familiarity had bred complacence, though, so now he just sidestepped the precise blow and met Bucky’s frustrated gaze evenly. “None of them ever acted like Cassie used to. I thought it was strange, but no one else seemed to.” He smiled briefly, wry and mirthless, and then grunted as he caught a blow in the stomach.

“Clearly,” Bucky gritted out, taking a half-step back, without apologizing like he normally would, “none of the rest of us know  _ shit  _ about children.”

Scott shrugged, ducked, and swiftly punched Bucky in the sternum. Bucky, distracted, caught the blow full on. While he was swearing and catching his breath, Scott gave him an almost cheeky smile and placated, “It’s not your fault none of you had normal children.”

Bucky huffed and, unexpectedly, let out a quiet curse and dropped down onto the mat, all the fight seeming to leave him. Scott followed, frowning, and for a moment, they were both silent.

“I never noticed,” Bucky rasped at last. “Yuu had a curse and a lifetime of memories, and I  _ never noticed.” _

Scott’s expression turned pitying and pensive. “You weren’t right in the head,” he said gently. “And by the time you were, it would’ve been a lot harder to notice; you knew what to expect from him. No one blames you, least of all, I’m sure, Yuu.”

Bucky blew out a frustrated breath and, instead of answering, asked, “And Lavi? Allen?”

Scott shrugged. “Tony and Pepper had Lavi well in hand. Allen’s birth mother was bad enough to take him pretty far off normal anyway.” Taking a guess at what this was really about, he added, “I don’t think we need to panic. Worry, maybe. But now that we know, we can handle it, right?” He smirked. “We’re the Avengers. I’m sure we can handle a couple of kids.”

Bucky smiled mirthlessly, thinking back to Tony’s words, to the defensiveness of Yuu’s expressions, to one of his frantic demands,  _ ‘hit me!’.  _ “You’re taking this very calmly.”

“Nothing any of you people do surprises me anymore,” Scott said, perfectly deadpan. When Bucky gave him a flat glare, he chuckled and admitted, “I don’t think I’ve really processed it yet. I mean, they act just the same.”

Bucky grunted in disgruntled agreement. “I don’t know how to act around him anymore,” he muttered.

“Ask,” Scott suggested.

Wanda sat on her bed. Allen sat on her lap. Neither of them spoke.

The first talk after the revelation had been stilted and awkward. Wanda had felt betrayed, considering he’d let her share so much with him,  _ knowing  _ she didn’t know he’d remember it, and she hadn’t been afraid to show it.

Allen had decided it was his turn to share, and told her a story about Cross.

It didn’t make it all better, but it was a start - things had eased up outside with the others, but in here, alone, it was still tense.

“You ohw me?” Allen asked at last, soft and submissive.

He felt Wanda take a breath, and she noticeably considered. Finally, she replied, just as soft, “I do not think we should tell stories today.”

Allen flinched subtly, tensing up. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he hugged his arms to his chest, looking down. “Oh.”

Allen hadn’t meant to upset anyone, but of course, he had anyway. Everyone was upset, at least a little, and he regretted everything.

He liked talking with Wanda, and he didn’t want to stop.

“I think,” Wanda continued, and Allen flinched slightly as he felt her hand settle over his. “That we should talk, today.”

Allen stopped trying not to cry and looked up at her, forgetting about the tears in his eyes. “Huh?”

Her expression softened slightly. “We should talk,” she repeated, quiet. “About what we learned, last week.”

Discomfort swamped over Allen, and his face scrunched up a little, uncertain and nervous. “Oh,” he said again, voice very small indeed.

“I wish you had said something,” Wanda started, her thumb stroking over the back of his hand. He stared at her guiltily. “And so does Natasha, and Steve, and the rest of our team. You understand that, do you not?”

Allen nodded hesitantly. “Sowwy,” he whispered.

Wanda nodded, accepting this. “I am also very worried.” She reached down and tilted his head up gently, and he stared at her, frightened and frozen. “I do not wish to upset you, Allen. But I feel like I don’t know you.”

Allen kept his gaze on her for a few long minutes, shifting from guilty to anxious to unhappy, then to pensive and then to certain. “I know you,” he whispered, slow and steady. “An’ I though’ I knew me. Bu’ I don’ feel like myself anymowe.”

“Because you changed?” she asked.

“Cause I  _ li’l,”  _ he corrected, nose wrinkling unhappily. “An’ I scawed a lo’. Didn’ use to be dis way. I don’ know wha’ t’ do.”

Wanda smiled, slightly tearful, and it startled him. “That makes two of us,” she murmured.

He giggled, soft and wet. “We leawn,” he promised her.

“We will learn,” she agreed, smiling softly. “We always do.”

“You know, I thought you were done keeping secrets from me.”

Tony, once more in his workshop, winced at Rhodey’s bone-dry tone and spun to face him with an easy smile. “Yeah, me too,” he admitted, running his greasy fingers through his hair.

Rhodey swung into a chair beside him and snorted. “God, you’re a pain in my ass sometimes.”

“Aim to please, honey bun,” Tony said automatically, and then, “What’s up? Miss my pretty face? Sorry, old buddy, old friend, but that’s all Pepper’s now.”

“I wouldn’t take your pretty face if you paid me,” Rhodey told him. “Why didn’t you say anything? If I know you, and you bet your ass I do, you were working your butt off trying to cover every base you could.”

Tony huffed, grimacing slightly. At the same time, his face softened and turned pensive. “Lavi didn’t want it spread around,” he said at last. “At first, I mean. And then later, obviously, telling on him would’ve basically been telling on Allen and Yuu, too, and that just wasn’t an option.”

Rhodey blew out a breath and tilted his head back to gaze at the ceiling. “You realize this changes things, right?”

Tony tensed slightly. “Like what?”

“They’re not normal kids,” Rhodey explained, pointing out the obvious first. “And sure, that’ll make them a hell of a lot stronger in some ways. But from what you said?” A frown spread across his face. “They’ll be pretty damn fragile in others. They’ll have some strange quirks, and stories behind them.”

“Yeah,” Tony said sharply, jaw clenched and eyes fixed on the ground. “Yeah, I actually knew that.”

Rhodey sighed. “I know you do. Just… a little heads-up would’ve been nice, you know?”

“I know.” Tony was silent for a moment, and then he cursed quietly and spun away again. “Honestly, I’m… glad they gave it up when they did. It’s… a little much, sometimes.”

Rhodey’s gaze lingered on him, and he frowned. “You haven’t told us everything yet, have you?”

Tony didn’t look at him. “No. Not yet.” He snorted. “‘Everything’ probably would’ve given Natasha, Bucky, and the Capsicle a heart attack each.”

Rhodey stared at him, and then groaned and let his head fall back again. “You Starks are gonna be the death of me, you know that?”

Tony smirked at the opposite wall. “C’mon, honey bunch, it’s not just us Starks anymore. It’s the whole damn team.”

“Don’t remind me. I’m starting to regret joining this madhouse.”

Sam tried to pay attention to the show on the screen while Steve and Natasha murmured half-formed sentences to each other, clearly keeping their voices down to try and keep from attracting his attention. Tension filled the room ‘til it couldn’t have been cut with one of Natasha’s knives, and finally, Sam exhaled heavily, shut the television off, and turned to the two people who had dragged him into this mess in the first place.

“Okay, you two, what’s up?”

Steve managed a weary, bashful smile for his friend. “Sorry, Sam. Didn’t mean to bother you.”

“That,” Sam told him, “isn’t what I asked.”

Natasha rolled her eyes and reclined, eyes sliding to the empty screen. A hint of a mirthless smirk pulled at one corner of her mouth. “You’re not stupid, Wilson.”

“Nope,” Sam agreed, popping the ‘p’ with a small smirk of his own. “But if it was  _ just  _ the obvious, you would’ve worked it out the day after you found out. You two are weird like that.”

Steve chuckled softly. “He’s right, you know,” he said to Natasha, who elbowed him hard enough to make him grunt, rubbing his side ruefully. While he was doing that, she agreed,

“Probably.” To Sam, “We’ve talked to Allen about it a little more. There’s a lot he still isn’t telling us, that’s all.” A small scowl appeared on her face. “Apparently, he was eighteen when he died. Nineteen in four days.”

Sam winced visibly, consternation appearing on his face. “Kid doesn’t have the best of luck, does he?”

Steve’s discontent hardened into stern disapproval, but his eyes weren’t focused on anything in the room. “I’d like to have a word with whoever had him before,” he muttered, then huffed slightly and continued, “It’s… not really an issue, not like it would be with most people, but…” He shrugged and smiled dryly. “It’s a shock, that’s for sure.”

“Not gonna give you a heart attack, is it?” Sam snarked, and while Steve chuckled, he tacked on, “All issues of past lives aside, it’s still pretty clear he’s a baby. Sure acts like one most of the time.”

Both parents nodded in agreement, and Natasha added,

“It comes and goes; I noticed it before, but of course, I had no idea what I was seeing.”

Steve gave her a put-out look. “You didn’t mention that.”

Natasha gave him a dry look and continued on without replying. “It should be easy enough to keep track of. We’ll need to be careful and keep an eye on him, that’s all. Meanwhile, I’ll interrogate Stark as to what he hasn’t given up yet.”

Something in her eyes made Sam frown.

“You think it’s bad?”

Steve twisted to give his wife a concerned look, finding her expression grim.

“I think it’s worse than we can accurately guess,” she answered.

Yuu crouched in a corner of his and Bucky’s room, a small, bright blue watering can held in his hands. He tilted it over a pot, and water splashed clumsily out over the little bush. He growled at it in displeasure and moved on to the next, a small fern.

“Yuu?”

Yuu started slightly and turned around, frowning. Vision offered him a small smile and, without waiting for invitation, entered.

Vision tended to glide more than walk, even at ground level, so it was sometimes a little eerie to watch. Still, Yuu just continued to frown at him as he approached and finally sat down beside Yuu, settling into a relaxed, cross-legged position.

“What?” Yuu asked at last, when it became clear that Vision was not going to begin the conversation himself, nor was he going to leave.

“Your friends are very worried about you,” Vision informed him. Yuu wrinkled his nose.

“Don’t be stupid. They know I’m up here.”

Vision chuckled softly, smiling at him. “You’ve been very quiet these past few days,” he explained. “I understand you’ve hardly fought with Allen at all.”

Yuu scowled at him and looked away, reaching to rub at one of the fronds of his fern, getting spores all over his fingers. “Bear needs time to think,” he muttered. He shot Vision a suspicious look.  _ “You  _ don’t.”

Vision smiled gently. “My predecessor-” -Meaning JARVIS- “-knew of Lavi’s origins. It was not a difficult leap to assume that you and Allen were the same. There were signs, if one knew what to look for. I was simply lucky enough that I did.”

Yuu grunted and looked down, frowning at his plant. While he was doing that, Vision continued,

“Your father is simply adjusting. You know he does not always respond well to change.”

“What change?” Yuu demanded, maybe a little harshly. “Nothing’s different.”

“It  _ is,”  _ Vision corrected softly. “But different is not bad, Yuu.”

“I don’t want it to change,” Yuu snapped, voice cracking subtly. “I  _ like  _ it.”

“Maybe you should tell Bucky that,” Vision suggested.

“Fine!” Yuu stood up and stormed off, and Vision stared after him for a few minutes, until he disappeared from sight and hearing, and then chuckled.

“Was that good, FRIDAY?” he asked the ceiling.

“Very good, Vision,” FRIDAY replied, sounding faintly amused. He smiled, as much at the show of emotion as at the praise, and rose to his feet.

“Good. I myself will be very glad when the team runs fluidly again.” His smile softened. “It is… nice, when it does.”

The tower was in chaos.

Pepper usually liked to say that the tower was always in some form of chaos, but at the moment, it was really, truly in chaos. The three boys were running around impatiently, one moment swarming around Tony, the next split apart to separate corners of the room, and the next beside any of their respective parents.

Miranda was tagging along behind Maria, clearly nervous, and Maria, along with Pepper, was running around trying to run herd on the Avengers, who in turn were trying desperately to calm down the boys.

Because of all the ruckus, no one noticed when the elevator door slid open.

For a very long moment, Nicholas Fury stood in the doorway, regarding the harried-looking Avengers with an impassive expression that hid no small amount of amusement. He waited.

It was Tony, bringing Lavi down from the countertop, who noticed him first, happening to glance over in his direction. He froze, and Fury had to squash down a smirk.

Scott, a moment later, followed his gaze. “Who’s that?” he asked.

Fury decided he’d gotten enough of their attention and took a few more steps forward.

“In recent times,” he began, letting his single eye roam over the chaotic Avengers, slowly grinding to a halt as they noticed his presence. “The US government has been turning their attention onto metahumans and metahuman regulation-”

He felt a tug at his shirt and looked down.

A little redheaded boy with wide green eyes stared up at him curiously, backed up by a black-haired boy with long hair, crossing his arms and frowning up at him, as suspicious as his friend was curious. Somewhere between the two, a tiny white-haired child with a bold scar down one side of his face stared at him anxiously.

“What the fuck?” Fury asked them.

The redhead giggled and the black-haired boy smirked. The white-haired boy stepped back a little.

“Who’re you?” the redhead asked him, fingers still fisted in the hem of his shirt.

Fury gave a put upon exhale. “Nick Fury,” he explained, temporarily distracted and pretending not to hear the alarmed mutterings of some of the Avengers. “Former director of SHIELD.”

“Oh.” The boy - Fury vaguely recognized him as Stark’s son Lavi - gave him a considering look. “I like your eye patch.”

Both of the other boys laughed at that, and the boy gave them a small grin. Fury rolled his remaining eye and plucked up the white-haired boy, holding him out in front of him as he yelped and squirmed.

“And who the fuck do you belong to?” Fury asked him, a little disgruntled. Wasn’t he supposed to be aware of these sorts of developments, in the loop or not?

The boy stared at him with apprehensive silver eyes, and finally said, “Nat an’ Cap,” and pointed at them. As if in explanation, he added firmly, “Mommy and Daddy.”

“His name’s Allen,” Lavi added, smiling brightly. “And this is Yuu!”

Fury raised an eyebrow at the long-haired boy who scowled up at him, arms crossed belligerently. “And who the fuck do  _ you  _ belong to?”

Yuu grunted and glanced at Bucky. “Bear.”

Fury grunted back and cast a critical eye over the Avengers, finding a few he only recognized from recent broadcasts, and- “And who are you?”

The preteen girl who’d been hiding among the adults squeaked and stepped back, and interestingly, Maria straightened up, pinning him with a stern look.

Fury wondered where all his control had gone.

The girl took a deep breath, apparently to recover from her surprise, and told him, in a slightly shaky voice that didn’t match her unwavering gaze, “I’m Miranda Hill. Aunt Maria’s niece.”

“Where the fuck are you all coming from?” Fury wondered, and then, thinking of Stark, “Don’t fucking answer that.”

Allen, still in his hands, had stopped squirming and was now just staring at him quizzically, head tilted slightly in confusion. Fury placed him on his hip and continued, as if he’d never been interrupted,

“Considering my own role in the assembly of the Avengers, I’ve decided that I’ve stayed out of this matter more than long enough-”

Stark was staring and Fury was hard-pressed to keep his serious face. Lavi was giggling, Yuu was smirking, and even Miranda looked to be hiding a smile. Allen’s fingers, covered in clean white gloves, were curled into his shirt, and he, too, was looking up at Fury curiously.

“-so with the Avengers heading to SHIELD, with or without my permission, I’ve decided to propose a solution for your accountability problem: an organization to oversee and ‘discipline’ you.”

There was no missing the sudden tension among the Avengers, and the levity from minutes before was gone. Fury ignored this too.

“Reports of Coulson’s death were… slightly exaggerated.”

And… uproar, right on cue. For a group of mismatched singularities, the Avengers were really quite predictable sometimes.

Fury waited for the shouting to die down, frowning slightly as he felt Allen tense under his arm and hide his face in his side. He spared a thought to wonder, but shoved it aside - he had come here, after all, with a mission in mind.

“I have spoken,” he continued, forcing his voice to rise above the Avengers. Silently, he was glad that he had long earned the respect of most of them when they quieted, “to the current director of SHIELD, former agent Phil Coulson, about this, and accommodations have already been made - a suitable building has been constructed close to the main SHIELD base for this very purpose.”

“Planning this for a while, huh, Fury?” Stark asked, a slightly vicious, clearly irate smile on his face. By the same token, Fury could feel Natasha’s gaze boring into him uncomfortably. Possibly only the child on his hip was protecting him from physical violence.

Good thing he’d picked the kid up, then.

“Are these arrangements acceptable?” he countered, though he knew there was only one real answer - and they knew it, too.

“You’re an ass, Fury.”

That was, shockingly enough, Steve, expression and voice both perfectly placid, but eyes burning with irritation of his own. There was a giggle from somewhere below eye level, but glancing down, he couldn’t have guessed which kid had made the sound.

Fury knew this, so he only smirked and inclined his head slightly. After a moment’s wait, he was rewarded.

“Fine.” Steve again, arms crossed. “Any objections?”

No objections were raised.

After a few moments, though, there was another question from below, one that made Fury frown in uncharacteristic confusion.

“Can we go see our friends now?  _ Please?” _

“What?” Fury asked without thinking.

Stark smirked.

“Woo, boy, Fury, have we got a story for you,” he said.

Fury knew, with sudden, startling comprehension, that he had walked into this situation with far less information than he was usually comfortable with, and Stark was  _ never  _ going to let him live it down.

“Whee!”

Daisy was practicing with her powers again; this time, Lenalee was three feet in the air, throwing herself off vibration-platforms with the full intention of forcing Daisy to catch her with another. It had been a quarter of an hour, and Daisy hadn’t failed yet. Lenalee was having the time of her life, too.

Daisy didn’t think that had a lot to do with their game, though.

“The prospect of you learning how to fly is getting more terrifying by the day,” she told the little girl, who grinned at her from her spot in the air, cheeks flushed with excitement and eyes sparkling.

Off to one side, Melinda was talking, quiet and tense, with Coulson, and nearby, Link was playing chess quietly with Noise. He was having a hard time concentrating, and looked very frustrated about it, but Noise hadn’t said anything yet, and from what Daisy had seen of him so far, he wouldn’t, either.

Tension radiated throughout the room, but it was a good kind of tension, full of anticipation and excitement. It was in every glance at the door, every time Coulson checked his phone, every time there was a noise outside the door or an off beat in something one of the kids said.

Klaud hadn’t been able to make it on such short notice, unfortunately, but overall, Daisy was pretty pleased with how many of them they’d been able to round up at once.

And by ‘they’, she meant Maria. How embarrassing.

Daisy chuckled to herself, and Lenalee paused to give her a quizzical look. Daisy would have answered, but she was interrupted.

The door opened, and Mack poked his head in, amused lines creasing his face.

“Visitors,” he said, and children poured in.

First was a pair of five-year-olds, as sharply contrasting as you could get, and then a preteen girl, nervous and hopeful, holding the hand of a tiny white-haired boy.

Lavi, Kanda, Miranda, and Allen.

Lenalee scrambled off of the platform and would have fallen if Daisy hadn’t caught her again and let her down gently, and the chess game was instantly abandoned in the fray.

A moment later, the two groups collided.

“Lavi! Kanda! Allen!” Lenalee cried happily, looking like she couldn’t decide who to go to first. The boys solved that problem for her, converging on her like moths on a flame.

“Lenalee!” Lavi said happily, hugging her tightly. Allen attached himself to her side, laughing happily, and even Kanda hugged her briefly. Lenalee laughed and tried to hug them all back at one, only sort of succeeding, but she seemed content with that.

“I missed you so much!” she whispered fervently, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. Lavi gave her a big grin.

“Missed you too, Lenalee,” he said honestly, and Kanda nodded in agreement. Allen squeezed her tightly for a moment, making her look down with a fond, tearful smile, and grinned up at her before disengaging - so he could see her better, Daisy guessed.

“Oh, God,” Lenalee breathed, shaking her head and scrubbing at her eyes. Lavi’s grin morphed into a concerned frown, and Allen let out something like a worried croon. “Oh, I missed you. I so glad t’see you ‘gain.” She beamed wetly. “We have so much t’talk ‘bout, don’ we?”

Both Lavi and Allen nodded fervently, and even Kanda smiled a little in agreement.

“Um…”

Link stood awkwardly off to one side, looking suddenly uncertain, fingers pushing together anxiously. There was a brief moment where the boys just stared at him, but finally, Allen smiled and left the group to dart over and hug him, too, tight and sincere.

“Link!” he said happily against the boy’s stomach, squeezing as tight as he could with one arm. “I so glad t’see you ‘gain!”

Link looked so startled that it was heartbreaking and warming in equal measure, and then his expression crumpled, and he hugged Allen back, fervent and longing. “Allen,” he breathed.

The other two wandered over after that, and Link glanced up at them, worried and hesitant. After a long moment of scrutinization, Kanda snorted and shrugged, looking away, and Lavi gave him a grin and a shrug.

After that, Daisy’s attention was drawn by the other reunion, much quieter and more reserved, and with as much shock as there was feeling. But finally, Noise had broken the silence formed by their mutual lovestruck staring (which Daisy would’ve found funny in any other circumstances) to smile and say softly,

“You’re just as beautiful as I imagined.”

Miranda’s eyes widened dramatically, a bright blush spreading slowly across her cheeks, and she started to reach forward. “Noise… You can see!”

Noise smiled at her gently and met her hand halfway, taking her hand in a tender hold, and then using it to pull her close, into a loving embrace straight out of a Hallmark movie. “I missed you,” he murmured, almost too quiet to hear.

Miranda’s eyes filled with tears, and she hugged Noise back, pressing her cheek to his chest. “I missed you, too,” she whispered tearfully, breath hitching.

“Hey.”

Daisy looked up, actually disappointed to be distracted from the reunions before her, and then had a not-so-small heart attack when she met the eyes of Tony Freaking Stark, king and master of hackers and programmers.

He was smiling at her, smirking, really, and glanced at the kids enjoying their first reunion in years. “Thought you’d like to know that we’re moving the business talk into a different room - you’re coming, aren’t you?”

Daisy glanced at the kids, who were starting to settle down and chatter happily, with wide smiles and sparkling eyes, and gave a heavy sigh.  _ Damn, I hate being an adult sometimes.  _ “Yeah, I’m coming.”

She got up and followed Tony out of the room, and just before she shut the door behind her, she heard Lavi insist loudly,

“No, no, no, you gotta go first, we got no idea what happened to you!”

Daisy smiled to herself, and the door snapped shut.


	34. Confirmation Bias

The seven of them eventually settled in a rough circle on the floor. Noise sat against a wall with Miranda tucked under his arm and Yuu on his other side. Between Yuu and Lavi sat Lenalee, and Allen was squished between Lavi and Link, with Link sitting, formal and cross-legged, next to Miranda.

"Well," Noise said at last, breaking the excited silence that had imposed itself after the initial outbreak of excited babbling. With a small, amused smile on his mouth, underscored in relief and pleasure, he cast his gaze over the group, most of which gazed back quizzically. "Who goes first?"

Another, shorter pause, and then Lenalee smiled.

"I wanna hear from the boys," she announced with certainty. "They been with the Avengers. Is it fun?"

"It's great," Lavi assured her with a grin, taking up the implied question first. Allen nodded in agreement with a small smile, and Yuu shrugged, but he was smiling, too, faint and possibly subconscious. "Some of 'em are really weird but all of them are fun, and…" His smile softened a little. "They're really nice, too." He brightened a little. "And it's _exciting!_ They go out to fight a lot, but they always come back and sometimes they tell us what happened, and that's fun!"

Lenalee smiled at him. "Tony Stark's your dad, righ'? An' Pepper Potts your mom?"

Lavi bobbed his head eagerly. "Yeah! An' they're great, too." His voice dropped a little, but his smile didn't. "I told them really early, about what happened. They took it really well."

"That's good," Lenalee replied, with a soft smile of her own. "An'- I glad you go' your eye an' your hand back, Lavi."

Lavi laughed. "Believe me, I am too! It was weird, but definitely not in a bad way, right, Marie?"

"Noise," Noise corrected with a small, fond smile. "But yes. I'd have to agree." Miranda squeezed his arm happily and he squeezed her shoulder teasingly back.

"And…" Lavi's smile turned a little more melancholy, but it was still sincere. "...Glad you can walk again, Lenalady."

"...Me too." Lenalee dropped her head a little and gave him a small smile, and after a few moments, broke the moment by looking at Yuu. "What about you, Kanda?"

Yuu stared at her for a few minutes, clearly thinking, and then he turned his gaze on the ground. "...Call me Yuu."

That took a moment to process in everyone's minds. Miranda's eyes widened first, and then Noise took in a sharp breath, and even Allen twisted to give Yuu a genuinely surprised look. Yuu's cheeks colored and he steadfastly ignored them all.

Then, finally, Lenalee positively beamed. "Okay, Yuu!" she chirped. "How'd you ge' there?"

Yuu shrugged, cheeks still pink. "The bear brought me," he said at last, glancing up to meet her expectant eyes. "We… I woke up at HYDRA." She froze, her eyes widening, and he nodded reluctantly. "They wanted me to be an assassin for them, and part of that was… they gave me to the bear when he was awake, so that I'd learn what it was like or some shit like that."

Lavi's eyes had gone dark, and Allen had ducked his head. Miranda's eyes, by contrast, were wide with worry and locked onto Yuu, and Noise's gaze, too, lingered, a small, solemn frown on his face. Link was rigid, eyes wide and worried.

"When the bear ran away," Yuu continued, scowling softly, "he took me with him. And then he decided he was safe to be around, so we went to the Avengers so he could talk to Steve, and then we didn't leave."

There was a finality about his tone that clearly discouraged any further questions, so Lenalee didn't ask any - she'd save those for another time. Instead, she swallowed her worry and looked at Allen, who was… alarming, in how small he was, how fragile he looked. Allen _never_ looked fragile.

"Allen?"

To her alarm, all three boys went still. Miranda sat up a little, and Noise's head tilted slightly, his frown deepening. Link turned his head to look down at Allen, also frowning.

Of course. Of course, she had been stupid, to think that Yuu and Allen had received any sort of luck. She'd never known two people to be so unfortunate.

Allen swallowed, and she could see the gleam of tears in his eyes as he ducked his head as if to duck the question. "Mommy an' Daddy 'dopted me," he offered. It was weak, and he knew it. Lavi put a hand on his head and sighed, looking solemn and a little worried himself, and Link transferred his gaze up to him, questioning.

"We found him at his old mom's house," he explained, a dark look in his eyes. Lenalee gave him a worried look, too, and he smiled bitterly and shrugged, while Yuu scowled fiercely, looking strangely uncomfortable. "And he was locked in a wine cupboard, with _bruises-"_

Allen let out a protesting, high-pitched whine, and Lavi sighed again, stopped, and said instead,

"Well, we don't talk about Marlisa."

"Don' talk 'bout Mawlisa," Allen agreed, moving to curl into a vulnerable little ball.

Murderous rage, an uncomfortably familiar feeling to Lenalee, flashed through her, and she clenched her fists. "I _see."_ She'd never even seen this woman, but she already hated her more than she hated almost anyone she'd ever met.

Why did these things always happen to her friends?

"We found him," Yuu put in, voice rough and irate. "And we brought him back, and Steve and Tasha adopted him, so he's good now. He's _good."_

Lenalee didn't think Yuu really believed that.

"Is that why you're so small?" Link asked Allen, brow furrowed with worry, and Allen peeked up at him with a small frown.

"I _two,"_ he protested, huffing. "Two yeaw olds small."

"You're too small even for a two year old," Link disagreed, gaze lingering. "Are you eating?"

"I eating!"

Link looked like he was going to keep arguing, so Lavi, relaxing slightly from the tense discussion, broke in,

"Lenalee, you've been at SHIELD, right? What's happened to you?"

Link was successfully distracted, looking back up. Lenalee took a deep breath, forcing her uncomfortable emotions to settle, and answered,

"Well, Mommy's a senior agen', so I spen' mos' of my time 'round the base. The team's nice, too, I think you'll like 'em." She smiled at Lavi, and Yuu shrugged noncommittally, while Allen looked hesitant and uncertain. Mentally, she pleaded with them to get along with her new family, and continued, "I didn' tell Mommy on purpose, she sorta figured it ou', but it turned ou' alright." She dropped her gaze a little, feeling guilty. "But-" She glanced at Noise, who nodded encouragingly. "Noise an' Klaud an' I told them about… 'bout the war. Some of it." Silence. She dropped her gaze. "An'... they might ask questions."

A little more silence, but then, finally, Yuu said, rough again and bordering on harsh,

"Whatever. They need to find out eventually anyway."

Lenalee smiled, a little tremulous but mostly glad, and nodded, and after a moment, so did nearly everyone else.

"Dad knows a lot already," Lavi put in with a somewhat anxious smile of his own. "But, um, I don't think he's told the others yet."

Lenalee winced, and Noise grimaced.

"That won't be pretty," he murmured.

"I hope they take it okay," Miranda agreed, brown eyes round with worry.

Lavi shrugged and Yuu scowled at the ground, and then he asked abruptly, clearly wanting to change the subject,

"Marie- Noise." He made a frustrated sound of his own, but moved past it to ask, "What about you?"

Noise smiled a little. "I've been fine," he promised, feeling Miranda give a relieved smile against his chest. "Mom and Dad are strict, and Al's a little annoying sometimes, but…" He chuckled. "Really, the biggest thing to happen to me since I came back was when Al came back from a long work absence and demanded to know why I hadn't told him about my old life." He'd never quite had Yuu's bad luck.

Lenalee blushed. "Sorry," she said again. Noise waved it off.

"My father's been very nice," Miranda offered tentatively, and Lavi gave her an encouraging smile, while Allen fixed an inquisitive gaze on her. "I… I love him a lot. And Aunt Maria…" She trailed off, eyes dimming. "I… It's strange. But I wouldn't trade them for anything."

There was a brief chorus of hums of agreement, and then Allen looked at Link, who glanced away in return, red spilling across his cheeks again.

"I… Mom's great," he said quietly, and when no one snapped at him, he looked back at them hesitantly. "She was distracted for a long time, when she thought Uncle Phil was dead, but she never forgot about me." He shrugged. "And I didn't really go to school the first time, so this is new, even if I know most of it right now."

Noise smiled and nodded in agreement, as did Miranda, while Allen's eyes widened slightly, and then Yuu's and Lenalee's.

"School!" Yuu yelped, sounding indignant and anxious in equal measure.

Noise and Miranda both laughed at him.

"You should be coming up on that age now," Noise noted with a small, wry smile. "Kindergarten."

Yuu wrinkled his nose, and Lavi laughed.

"It'll be fun," Lavi insisted, nudging Yuu over Lenalee, and Yuu scowled back but was unable to retaliate properly.

Allen was still looking at Link, thoughtful and concerned. "Link?" he ventured, after a few moments when no one else spoke.

"Sorry," Link blurted out, and the mood turned from light to solemn again. "I'm really sorry."

Yuu looked away sharply, scowling at the wall, but Lavi's gaze lingered on him thoughtfully.

"What for?" Lavi asked cautiously - he'd ignored it because Allen, who knew Link best out of all of them, had been ready to trust Link, but Link was still a CROW once. And he'd gone back, first thing after the end of the war.

"Because I couldn't escape," Link muttered, loosely curled up and gazing at the ground, brow furrowed with pensive guilt. "And I couldn't warn you."

Lavi relaxed. "So you didn't have anything to do with it? You didn't know?"

Link shook his head. "They executed me when I got back," he explained, quiet and dismayed. "Hanging." His hand twitched upward, but he restrained himself.

All of them were quiet for a few moments, and then Noise offered, just as soft,

"They caught Miranda and I at a friend's house." He glanced down at Miranda, who, though downcast, nodded her permission. "We were both stabbed in the heart."

"They took me to an alley," Lenalee put in, eyes on Link, anxious and unhappy. "Boun' me with seals, and then cut my throa'."

Miranda nodded solemnly. "They trapped me and Noise, too."

Link looked stricken, but when his wide eyes turned on Allen, the boy didn't even think of refusing.

"An' me," Allen admitted, ducking his head. "I fough' fiwst, outsi' town, bu' when dey go' me I couldn' no mowe, and den dey stab me in th' back." His shoulder rolled subconsciously, tears filling his eyes, but they didn't fall this time.

"Caught me at home," Kanda offered, staring intensely at the floor, scowling again. "I fought until they bound me, but by then it was too late anyway. Bled out."

"On a street," Lavi managed. He swallowed. "Burned me with a fire tag."

Link drank in every one of these reports with equal horror and dismay, gaze turning from exorcist to exorcist with wide eyes. Finally, he bit his cheek against the burn of tears in his eyes. "I'm never showing anyone those spells," he said at last, voice slightly choked. "Never."

Allen smiled at him, and the tears fell, silent and unacknowledged. "'M glad," he murmured.

A few more moments' quiet, and Lavi finally decided enough was enough and looked at Noise.

"What's with your Innocence?" he asked, making most of them start at the abrupt change of subject. "You aren't a crystal type. And neither is Link."

Noise smiled and shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted, "but it would've been rather strange for me to be born with my rings, wouldn't it have?"

Lavi laughed. "Yeah, that's true."

"Yeah, stupid rabbit," Yuu sniped, relaxing a little.

"Ah, don't be mean, Yuu!"

"I'll be as mean as I want!"

"I'll tell Bucky!"

"The bear won't care!"

Allen giggled and smiled up at Link, who studied him critically.

"I still think you're too small," Link told Allen seriously.

Allen laughed.

Noise looked over the group of them, starting to disintegrate into smaller, lighter conversations, and then looked down at Miranda, who smiled back up contently. Anything he'd been about to say left his mind, and he just smiled back.

"I hope the grown-ups are doing alright," Miranda murmured, and Noise took that in for a moment before his smile turned a little wry.

"Well, that depends on what they're talking about."

* * *

_"An' we had to, no mattew what. No mattew how many times- How many fweinds-"_

Coulson, not a trace of a smile on his face, shut off the recording just as Lenalee dissolved into hysterical sobs, and looked up, gaze roving those seated at the table.

Daisy, Mack, Melinda, and Maria, who had all heard this recording before, were grim-faced but mostly unshaken, though Melinda refused to do much besides glare at the table. Fury, whose job it had once been to make the right decision no matter what his emotions told him, had his mouth set into a firm, grim line, eyes dark, arms laid across the table in a strangely ominous gesture.

They were the best off.

Tony wasn't looking at anyone, leaning over the table with his head in his hands, fists clenched so tight they were shaking slightly, breathing uneven and shallow. Vision looked wide-eyed and stricken, frozen stiff and clearly worried out of his lightspeed mind, while Wanda looked crushed and nearly in tears, hands hidden under the table and gaze downcast.

Bucky had gotten up, and he was pacing madly, fists clenching and unclenching, stopping every so often to take a deep breath before he resumed. Steve had run his hands through his hair more times than Coulson could count, looking exhausted, like a weight far greater than any mortal man could lift had been dropped onto his shoulders, and close to tears to boot.

Natasha, as always, was far more closed off, but Coulson - and, he was sure, Steve - could see the slight wideness of her eyes and hear the shake in her breath, the veins jumping in her cheek and the tendons in her neck. It was a struggle for her to stay as still as she was; she, like Bucky, preferred to pace.

Scott looked green, and Rhodey had his eyes closed, teeth gritted, looking frustrated, while Sam looked resigned to it all, brown eyes dim with crushing comprehension.

It was Tony who found his voice first - of course, as Coulson understood it, he'd already known some of it. "Fuck."

"Language," Natasha said, but it was hollow, and it fell flat against the unsettlement of the room.

"Fuck," Tony repeated, louder. "Lavi didn't-"

"None of them did," Scott said tiredly, looking like he was bracing himself against the urge to throw up. "They didn't want us to know."

"They didn't want you to worry," Coulson said quietly, guessing from what Lenalee had said of them.

"Well, it didn't work," Tony snapped, finally raising his head.

The presentation of the recording had come at the tail end of the more boring parts of the meeting - roles and positions and technicalities, etc - and for an afterthought, it was pretty earthshattering.

Tony had a lot to talk to Lavi about. Steve, Natasha, and Bucky, they had even more.

God, he hated this, and everything about this and the _helplessness_ it made him feel.

"Is it all true?" Bucky asked, voice rough, scraped raw.

"Near as we can tell," Daisy offered, eyes deeply empathetic. "All their stories corroborate, no inconsistencies anywhere, and, well. They've got no reason to lie about this, really."

Bucky grunted, fists clenching again.

"Were they all that young?" Sam asked, eyes on Coulson. Coulson shrugged.

"We don't know, but I don't think so. Klaud gave the impression that Lenalee was the youngest she'd ever known, but…" He sighed. "You'd have to ask your kids to know for sure."

Bucky nodded jerkily, and Steve and Natasha exchanged a worried look.

"We'll do that," Steve promised, a little hoarse. "What… what did Lenalee mean, when she said that Allen would know more?"

"I don't know," Coulson said again, grimacing. "This was only a few months ago, and for the, ah, obvious reasons, we weren't especially inclined to push too hard."

"Your job is to push," Fury told him, which Coulson knew already. His expression was serious, but there was a hint of a mirthless smirk at the corner or his mouth.

"You don't get any say in this," Coulson informed him. "You're dead."

"I don't feel very dead," Fury sniped back. "And while we're on the subject, I may be staying around for a while, but this is still _your_ show." He jabbed his thumb at the still-recovering Avengers. "I am sick of dealing with their shit."

Coulson smiled faintly. "This really isn't their fault."

"I don't give a shit," Fury grumbled. And then, derisively, _"Kids."_

"Kids," Natasha agreed tiredly, with a small smirk of her own, eyes unchanged from their frustrated, worried look.

"The kids," Rhodey said to the air, "are going to be _so much worse_ than their parents, aren't they?"

Coulson didn't feel the need to confirm this. It was too obvious.

Mack and Daisy exchanged a look, and finally, Mack cleared his throat and scooted back, standing up uncomfortably. His gaze lingered on the Avengers for a few more moments before he broke it away.

"I'm checking on the kids," he said at last. "Want me to…?"

"Keep them out," Natasha interrupted, closing her eyes briefly. "For a little while longer."

No one disagreed, so Mack shrugged and nodded. "Got it."

As he left, Maria let her gaze linger on them for a moment, and then switched her gaze to Coulson, a small grimace of her own still fixed on her face.

"Have you hired a therapist for them yet?" she asked, not even bothering to question whether he'd thought about it. Coulson laughed, more dry than amused.

"I'm working on it," he said honestly.

* * *

They had one more night in the tower before they officially started the move into the Theta Base, so they split up among their floors one last time. It was awkward and tense, and everyone noticed, but no one could really do much about it.

Allen held onto Natasha's hand, eyes on the floor, shuffling uncomfortably. He exchanged one last worried look with Yuu as he, Bucky, and Scott got off, and then it was just him, Steve, and Natasha.

Still, neither of them brought anything up just yet, which, if anything, made him more anxious. Neither of them did until all three of them were dressed in their nightclothes, and then Steve helped him up to sit on the big bed with him and Natasha, while Allen peeked up at them guiltily.

Finally, though, Natasha sighed and smoothed his hair back. "You're going to be the death of us," she told him, not for the first time, and he giggled reluctantly.

Steve huffed out a short laugh of his own, though it… _really_ wasn't funny, and shook his head. "We won't ask much about it now," he told Allen, and decided it was the right choice when undisguised relief flashed across the boy's face. "But…" His heart clenched a little in anticipation. "How… old were you? When you got involved?"

Allen winced a little, but he never wanted to lie to them again, not ever. "T-ten," he said reluctantly, tucking his arm against himself anxiously. He heard Steve inhale sharply, and then felt Natasha's hand on his head again and leaned into the touch but didn't look up, biting his lip. "I… um. Did dey tell you how akuma're made?"

Steve's brow furrowed, and he grimaced a little and nodded. Allen scooted up against Natasha in a silent request, and she obligingly moved him to her lap, where he squirmed for a moment longer before continuing.

"I was 'dopted den too," he whispered. "An'... I twied to make him an akuma, aftew he died. An' he gave me dis-" He gestured to his face, indicating the scar. "An' my awm activa'ed, so I stawted t'twain."

Allen's… previous father, had given him…? Steve's throat tightened, and he wasn't sure if it was from crippling worry or breathtaking rage. He imagined Allen, even at ten years old, with a wound that would leave a scar like that, and found he couldn't even stand to think about it.

There were a lot of things that he didn't want to think too hard about.

He met Natasha's eyes and found a deadly cold reflected back at him, grief and frustration and anger, but then she nodded, and he took a deep breath, once again forcibly controlling himself.

Meanwhile, Allen's breath hitched anxiously, eyes filling with tears again, and he hoped to God that they didn't ask him about Mana. He didn't want to talk about Mana.

Instead, he felt a gentle thumb on his face and looked at Steve, who had bent down so he was closer to eye level with him, eyes dismayed and looking almost sadder than Allen had ever seen him, but with a layer of anger Allen couldn't miss.

"I'm sorry," Steve said, sounding sincere. Allen, hyperfocused on the anger, was startled, and he tilted his head.

"Why?"

Steve visibly considered, and Allen felt Natasha shift to hold him a little tighter and pressed into the touch. Finally, Steve said,

"Everything."

Allen didn't think that answered the question.

* * *

There was a short silence between Yuu and Bucky, with Yuu's gaze fixed on the floor, frustration and guilt mixing together, and Bucky struggling for words once again, both of them seated on the bed with neither of them dressed for bed yet.

Finally, Yuu spoke, rough and uncomfortable. "Sorry."

Half of Bucky didn't think 'sorry' was enough, and the rest completely understood. Which was a bit frustrating all on its own. "Were you going to tell me?"

Yuu nodded. "But not so soon."

"...Yeah, well, I'm glad I learned." Bucky took a deep breath and looked at him, and after a few minutes, Yuu looked back. "How long?" Yuu tilted his head. Bucky tried again. "How much of your life was spent…" He trailed off. Yuu scowled faintly and glanced away again.

"...All of it," he said at last.

Bucky nearly flinched, and then his head jerked down to stare at Yuu critically.

What kind of effect would that life have on this one? Bucky knew what so much time spent fighting had done to _him,_ and he hadn't even been a child for any of it. For one to spend their whole life fighting a seemingly impossible battle, only to die and be launched straight into the depths of HYDRA...

Yuu held his gaze this time, but it was strangely defiant, considering. Bucky's heart dropped as something clicked between his mind and Yuu's dark eyes.

"...There's more." It wasn't a question.

Yuu looked away. "...Yeah."

Bucky took a deep breath and let it out in a hiss. _"Fuck."_

He wasn't ready for this. Except he didn't have the option of not being ready.

Beside him, he felt Yuu hunch over a little, and then reach for something. When he looked down, Yuu had grabbed his teddy bear and was squeezing it tightly, and Bucky could see the gleam of frustrated tears in his eyes.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Yuu told him. "It's bad. I don't want to think about it." And then, sounding almost like it was painful, "Please?"

Bucky stared at him, and wondered how one boy could make him so happy and so helpless at the same time. "You'll tell me sometime?" Did he sound as desperate as he felt?

Yuu nodded quickly, but he still wasn't looking at him.

"Fuck," Bucky repeated, hand coming up to his face. "...Okay." He could do this. "We're not done, but we can… wait for tomorrow." Yuu nodded again. "Okay."

Bucky hated this, and while he knew it wouldn't look any better in the morning…

God, he hoped he could at least deal with it then.

* * *

On his floor, Tony took a deep breath, one arm thrown over Lavi, who lay, fast asleep, against his side, and then picked up his phone and called Pepper.


	35. Adjustment and Readjustment

“Mommy, Mommy!” Lenalee burst into the gym, eyes sparkling and footsteps pattering rapidly on the ground. Melinda looked up, raising her eyebrows, and then realization flickered in her eyes as Lavi followed, looking around curiously, and then Yuu, eyes going straight to her, and then Allen, tucked into himself.

These were the people who Lenalee had missed so much, and greeted so enthusiastically when they finally met again. These were, as Melinda understood it, the best friends Lenalee had ever had, and ever expected to have again.

“Hello, baby girl,” Melinda greeted, standing back from the punching bag to unwrap her hands. “Are these your friends?”

Lenalee nodded eagerly, still scurrying toward her. Lavi tagged along, but the other two were much slower, Melinda noticed. Yuu looked very suspicious of her, and Allen had yet to look at her.

“Hey!” Lavi greeted, waving his whole arm and also part of his body. “I’m Lavi! You’re Lenalee’s mom, right?”

Lavi Stark, son of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, and, clearly, the most enthusiastic and forward of the three. Second-oldest of the bunch.

Melinda nodded at him, crossing the room to meet them halfway and crouching in front of Lavi. “Yes, I am. You can call me May.”

Lavi grinned at her and stuck out his hand. “Hey, May!” He chirped, and winked at her.

She suppressed a smile and shook his hand briefly before looking past him. Yuu had crossed his arms and was glaring at her, and Allen had finally looked up, clearly hesitant and borderline wary. Melinda raised her hand in a gesture of greeting, inclining her head.

“You two may also call me May,” she told them, and Yuu frowned at her for a moment before grudgingly trudging forward. He didn’t hold out his hand, but he did meet her eyes.

Yuu Barnes, oldest of the three, son of the Winter Soldier, James Buchanon Barnes, with a pretty patchy history of his own, considering.

“I’m Yuu,” he introduced himself shortly, and jerked his head at Allen. “That’s the sprout, but you can’t call him that.”

She raised her eyebrows at his challenging tone, but just nodded at him. “Good to know,” she replied with a wry quirk of her lips. “May I call him Allen, then?”

He scowled at her, then nodded. Apparently done with her, he shuffled over to Lenalee and stood by her, finally looking around - suspiciously, of course.

That left Allen, who finally approached her in small, deliberate steps, hands still clasped behind his back. He stopped farther back than even Yuu had, not taking his eyes off her, and rocking gently back and forth on his heels.

Allen Rogers-Romanoff, youngest, adopted son of Captain America - Steve Rogers - and the Black Widow - Natasha Romanoff. Biological son of Wolfgang and Marlisa von Strucker, and less than lucky for the fact, by Melinda’s understanding.

“Hi,” he said softly. “I Allen.”

“So I heard,” she replied, lips quirking up in a small smile. He smiled hesitantly back, and she offered her hand. He hesitated again, and then took it. She shook it lightly before she let him take it back and tuck it behind his back again, but the damage was done.

_ Gloves, hm? _

“It nice t’meet you,” Allen added, and then scurried over to the refuge of his friends. Melinda let another, faintly amused smile flicker across her face before she straightened up and turned around so that she could see the kids again.

Lenalee didn’t seem bothered by her friends’ reservations; she was still smiling, wide and bright.

“Mommy is th’  _ cooles’  _ agen’ in SHIELD,” Lenalee explained to her friends earnestly. Lavi gave her a grin and a nod, Yuu shrugged, and Allen offered a smile of understanding.

“Am I, now?” Melinda asked, amused. “Even cooler than Daisy?”

“E’en cooler than Daisy,” Lenalee agreed seriously, and then smiled brightly. “Cause you Mommy!”

“Mommies are the coolest,” Lavi agreed, and grinned when Lenalee beamed at him. “Who’re we meeting next!”

“Daisy,” Lenalee declared, grabbing Lavi by the hand and grinning at Melinda, who smiled back faintly. “We gotta go, ‘kay, Mommy?”

“Alright, baby girl, I’ll see you later,” Melinda agreed easily, hiding her amusement. Looked like Lenalee was trying to introduce her old friends to the whole team. “Stay safe and don’t go anywhere you’re not supposed to.”

Lenalee giggled, which was not acquiescence. Melinda was used to this, however.

Secretly, Melinda was very glad that Lenalee was kept on-base. Here, with its closely vetted agents and limited security access (Lenalee was technically allowed in a very narrow range of security clearances, but in practice visited those and everything above them) she felt safe enough to allow Lenalee to roam around on her own for short periods.

Lenalee’s  _ unusual  _ level of maturity helped with that, of course.

“Nice to meet you, May,” Lavi threw over his shoulder, green eyes sparkling.

Then they were gone, back into the halls, and Melinda smiled briefly before returning to her exercises, mulling the meeting over thoughtfully.

In the hall, Lavi grinned, amused, as Lenalee continued to tug him forward impatiently. Yuu and Allen were allowed to follow at a more sedate pace, Yuu grabbing onto Allen’s arm because he was apparently completely convinced that Allen would get lost. Lavi had to admit that that was probably not an unwarranted concern, no matter how much Allen protested the point.

“Daisy in th’ lounge, prob’ly,” Lenalee told her friends earnestly. “An’ guess wha’?”

Yuu frowned at her. “What?”

“She has powers, too!” Lenalee explained, which caught all three of their interests. Lenalee grinned. “She make things shake.”

Lavi gave an appreciative hum. “Like Link?”

“Sorta,” Lenalee confirmed. “It really cool!”

“Bu’ no’ as cool as May, wight?” Allen asked teasingly, perking up a little in the empty hallway. Lenalee giggled.

“Never!” she agreed.

The three boys had been sent into the main SHIELD headquarters while the adults made the move into the Theta Base, and Lenalee had taken it upon herself to introduce them to ‘the team’, her family.

It was a little upsetting that Yuu and Allen were both so reserved about it - Yuu she expected little more from, but Allen usually loved meeting new people - not because she expected better of them, but because it worried her.  _ Allen _ was worrying her, and if she could kill his old mother, she would.

No one touched her boys.

Daisy was indeed in the lounge; she was sitting on the couch with a soda on the table in front of her and a pad in her lap, and she was tapping away at it busily, frowning. She glanced up as they approached, and then smiled and set the pad aside, leaning forward.

“Little bug,” she greeted with a smile.

Lavi laughed. “Do these people know you have a name?” he asked Lenalee.

She grinned at him without answering, instead tugging him forward, trusting Yuu and Allen to follow. “Daisy!” she called out. “This is Lavi, an’ Allen, an’ Yuu.” She pointed at each boy in turn, though she was pretty sure Daisy could guess who was who already.

Lenalee was glad that her friends had seemed to like her mom, and that her mom liked them, too. It was always better when people got along.

“Hi,” Daisy greeted them with a grin that made Lenalee beam. “Lenalee’s told me a lot about you. I’m not sure I should believe all of it, though.” She winked at Lenalee, who crossed her arms and huffed, puffing her cheeks out childishly.

“You  _ shoul’!”  _ she complained, even though she knew Daisy was teasing her. The gleam in the Inhuman’s eyes said so. Then, satisfied, she scurried over to Daisy and pulled herself up beside her. “Wha’ you doin’?”

She felt Lavi clamber up beside her and peek over her shoulder, one of Lavi’s larger hands clasping on her shoulder for balance, and saw Yuu help Allen up onto the arm of the couch on Lenalee’s other side, before peeking over the arm himself, frowning at the pad.

“Secret stuff.” Lenalee huffed at her and Daisy grinned at her teasingly. “I don’t know, May might not want me telling you-”

“Daisy!” Lenalee whined.

“C’mon,” Lavi pitched in, and Lenalee nodded at him firmly. Good, he was helping.

“Yeah,” Yuu agreed, starting to look curious himself, and Allen tilted his head at Daisy and looked adorable, because even at two years old, he was apparently a master of manipulation.

Daisy laughed. “Fine, fine.” She picked the pad up again and pulled up a few diagrams for the kids to see. Lenalee squinted at them. They didn’t seem to mean anything. “I’m trying to isolate new HYDRA bases based on activity levels. It’s not easy, but it’s good to know.”

Lenalee made a noise of approval, and Kanda pulled himself up a little trying to get a better look at the screen.

“Found any?” Kanda asked, voice low and reluctant.

“Not yet, but I’m close,” Daisy smiled. “Lenalee, don’t you have a few more rounds to make?”

Lenalee, distracted, yelped and then nodded quickly. “Yeah! C’mon.” She slid back off the couch and waved at Daisy, who waved back with a quiet chuckle, and then they were off again.

She was really glad she could introduce her old family to her new one.

* * *

Coulson glanced up as the door opened and tried to decide between laughing and sighing.

“Hey, Lee-Lee,” he greeted. “I see you’ve shown your friends how to get past security.”

Lenalee made a dismissive noise, which was more or less what he’d expected. “No’ tha’ hard.”

“So you’ve said.” Coulson briefly contemplated beefing up security; he always did. He never went through with it. “So, I take it it’s my turn to meet your friends?” He set his pen down and scooted back a little in his chair.

He didn’t intend to tell the kids this, but it would probably be the last time for weeks, if not months, that the boys would be allowed to roam so freely, considering how much recent  _ news  _ had upset their parents. They were only being allowed this one day because the adults needed a little more time to talk - the movement was little more than a convenient excuse.

Lenalee grinned and nodded. “Yeah!” She pulled one of them, likely Lavi, forward, and he went with it with a mixture of resignation and amusement that suggested she’d been doing similar since they started. “This is Lavi-”

“And I’m Yuu,” Yuu interrupted, edging out from behind her to roll his eyes. “And this is the sprout.”

“Name is  _ Allen,”  _ Allen complained, but it was so quiet Coulson could barely hear it. The youngest boy finally shuffled into sight, his left arm held close to his chest, which clearly displayed the white gloves on both hands - briefly, Coulson recalled that Natasha had mentioned a discoloration of some sort on his left arm, in addition to the paralysis. That must be why.

Natasha had mentioned a lot of other things, too. Coulson was a little surprised he could recall that tidbit out of all the scathing words she’d thrown at him with all the kindness of a venomous snake.

He had to admit he’d kind of deserved it, though.

“And this is Uncle Phil,” Lenalee introduced, undeterred.

“You can call me Phil,” Coulson told them, smiling in amusement. “Formality seems a little lost on the Avengers, anyway.”

Lavi giggled, presumably in agreement, and Yuu snorted. Allen edged in and gave Coulson a shy smile, which Coulson counted as a win.

“He th’ d’rector of SHIELD,” Lenalee explained to her friends, leading them further into the office. “So he’s got lotsa work t’do!”

“And he actually does it?” Yuu asked doubtfully, following after her dutifully.

Lenalee giggled and nodded. “Uh-huh! An’ no one has t’come an’ pester him.”

There had to be a story behind that, Coulson decided.

“I hope you aren’t as much trouble as your parents,” Coulson told them. “Because Stark is a headache, Romanoff yelled at me earlier, I embarrass myself in front of the Captain, and Barnes sent half the Avengers on a wild goose chase for over a year.”

Yuu snorted at him and Allen gave him a small, nervous smile. Lavi just laughed, but he also stepped in front of his friends, so Coulson took a different tack.

“I’m sure it’ll be nice to have the three of you around, though.” Lenalee would be happier, for one thing, and also, it would probably be funny. Lenalee on her own caused some chaos, but it wasn’t the Avengers-level chaos Coulson had once been used to. It was almost boring.

He had a feeling that, between the Avengers and the kids, that was about to change.

Lavi seemed to catch the idea and winked at him, and Allen let out a soft giggle, and Yuu snorted again and shuffled over to try and peek at his work, and Coulson decided that no, he  _ definitely  _ wouldn’t mind having a couple more kids around.

After all, he’d been pretty close to the Avengers once. It only felt natural to get used to being around their kids, too.

* * *

As it turned out, knowing that the Avengers would be hanging around on-base was  _ not  _ the same thing as running into one of them during a midnight snack run.

Hunter blinked, half-asleep, at the turned back of the Winter Soldier, trying to remember if he’d done anything criminal as of late. Besides work for a technically illegal organization.

Right.

... _ Right.  _ Avengers on base.

Hunter was very tired.

Briefly, Hunter weighed to pros and cons of avoiding the scary assassin vs. going back to bed hungry, and then had the choice taken from him when Bucky turned around, frowning at him.

After a moment, the man inclined his head, and Hunter gave up and waved.

“Hi,” he offered warily.

A small smile tugged at the corner of the Soldier’s mouth, and he nodded back. “Late night?” he asked, pulling away from the counter to reveal a glass of water.

Hunter shrugged. “Woke up,” he replied, but he didn’t move from his place, feeling a little (understandably!) tense now that Bucky’s attention appeared to be focused on him. “What about you? Do you just like creeping around at night?”

Bucky smirked, looking unaccountably amused, and lifted the glass of water, apparently in demonstration. The dim light gleamed off of his metal fingers, which were curled delicately around the glass, tight enough to hold but not so tight as to shatter it. “Yuu was thirsty; it was keeping him from sleeping.”

“Oh, of course, the kid,” Hunter agreed, trying not to smirk in case the scary assassin was offended. He was fairly familiar with the odds and ends of taking care of a kid now; he’d run into May doing the same thing a few times.

“Yes, the kid,” Bucky confirmed with a faint smile. That was funny. Hunter wouldn’t have attributed a look that gentle to him before now.

Hunter was a little tired of his worldviews being shoved around like yesterday’s trash, too.

Giving up being afraid of the scary assassin, Hunter returned to his mission and pulled open the fridge to peer into it, looking for something worth eating that he wouldn’t have to work for.

“And what’s your excuse?” Bucky asked, hovering where he stood.

“Hungry,” Hunter shrugged. He reached in and grabbed a jar of pickles, pulled it out, and closed the fridge. “Probably shouldn’t be up at this hour, but eh.” That never seemed very important at night. It wouldn’t until the next morning, when he woke up exhausted and had to zombie through the morning.

Bucky chuckled, watching Hunter casually bite the end off a pickle, make a face, and put the jar of pickles back.

“I hate pickles,” Hunter mumbled.

“So do I,” Bucky admitted, and then nodded at him, finally moving toward the door. “Goodnight…?” He trailed off expectantly.

“Eh?” Hunter, preoccupied with powering through his gross pickle, blinked, and then realized he’d never introduced himself. “Hunter.”

“Goodnight, Hunter,” Bucky repeated, and then left.

_ Last year,  _ Hunter mused,  _ that would have been much weirder. _

Fortunately (or unfortunately?) things had changed, and now meeting the Winter Soldier in the kitchen barely fazed him.

Hunter threw the pickle away and grabbed a bag of chips instead, ripping it open and grabbing a handful, which he munched on contentedly.

Much better.

* * *

Bobbi was taking a moment of rare down-time to watch a crappy TV show when she encountered her first Avenger. There was a bowl of popcorn in front of her, and she was reclined on the couch, eyes intent on the screen.

A soft, startled noise made her look up, and she started pretty badly herself.

It took Bobbi only a moment to identify the woman in the doorway as the Scarlet Witch, and she looked more nervous than Bobbi might have expected, considering.

After a moment to regain her bearings, Bobbi gestured to welcome the Witch in. “Hey. Wanda, right?”

Wanda nodded hesitantly, the wariness not fading from her eyes. Bobbi smiled reassuringly.

“I was just watching…” She glanced back at the television. “...I don’t remember.” She was mostly just very bored. Downtime came so rarely that she usually had no idea what to do with it.

Wanda finally smiled a little and entered on nearly-silent feet, dropping onto the couch on the opposite end from Bobbi. “What is your name?” Wanda asked quietly.

“Bobbi Morse,” Bobbi introduced herself, holding out her hand, which Wanda took and shook. After retrieving it, Bobbi continued, “Not comfortable with new places?”

Looking a little surprised, Wanda shook her head. “No. But Steve has asked us to try and get to know some of the agents.” A small smile flickered across her face. “He is worried that we will all become ‘hermits’, or so his wife says.”

Bobbi nodded. “Natasha Romanoff.” A legend in SHIELD - and outside it. And also, now, a wife and a mother.

Still a terrifying person, by Bobbi’s understanding. She was kind of impressed. Then again, Melinda was just the same.

If she and Hunter ever worked things out, she might have to reconsider her options. She’d never sacrifice her career at SHIELD, but if she didn’t have to…

But that would be a very long time from now.

Wanda smiled and nodded. “Yes - she, and everyone in the Avengers-” A brief frown flickered across her face. “-have been very kind. New places are… difficult, but they are getting easier.” She gave Bobbi a small smile, and Bobbi smiled back.

“Glad to hear it,” she said agreeably, and jerked her head at the television. “Help yourself to some popcorn, but if you want a soda, you’ll have to get your own. Want to help me figure out what we’re watching?”

Wanda laughed. “I don’t see why not.”

* * *

Mack found an Avenger prying into his baby’s insides.

“Hey!” he called out to the strange man peering at the inside of the opened-up Quinjet, arms crossed. “Get out of there!”

The man started, and then pulled out of the engine, turning to give them a sheepish grin.

“Sorry,” he called out, not looking that sorry at all. “Couldn’t resist.”

Mack squinted at him. “You’re bigger than I thought you’d be,” he told Ant-Man.

Scott laughed. “I could go get the suit if you want,” he said, amused.

Mack snorted. “What were you looking at?”

Scott shrugged, shuffling out of the way a little while Mack made his way over to peer inside suspiciously, looking for damage - God knows the Avengers were known to cause enough of it. “Like I said, I was just curious. Never gotten a good look inside a Quinjet before.” At Mack’s impatient grunt, he smiled wryly and elaborated, “I’ve got a degree in electrical engineering. I just don’t, uh, get much of a chance to use it.” He chuckled. “I do understand almost twenty percent of the stuff that comes out of Tony’s mouth, though.”

“Tony Stark, yeah?” Mack asked, finally satisfied that nothing had been done. “Sounds like a real challenge to live with.”

Scott shrugged. “Not really. I mean, not most of the time.”

Mack grunted doubtfully, but changed the subject anyway. “You’ve practically got a club over there. Human guys in suits.”

That made Scott laugh. “Yeah, uh- I didn’t build mine. It wasn’t even built for me in the first place. As far as getting into the Avengers goes, I kind of feel like I cheated.” He considered. “Or got wrangled into it. That sounds more like it.”

Mack snorted. “How do you get  _ wrangled  _ into being an Avenger?”

“It happened to me and I’m still not sure,” Scott told him with a small, amused smile. He nodded at the Quinjet. “Feel like telling me how this works?”

Mack considered him for a moment, and then shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

* * *

“Good day.”

Simmons let out a short shriek and nearly dropped the Starkpad she was holding, spinning around to meet the curious eyes of the Vision. She took a deep breath, pressing a hand to her chest to calm her racing heart, and, after a moment, managed to smile at him. “H-hello,” she returned breathlessly. “You’re the Vision, aren’t you?” Not that he was easy to mistake.

He kept smiling at her gently. “Just Vision, please. It is easier.” He drifted - not walked, drifted - over to look curiously at Simmons’ work. “May I ask what you are doing?”

“Oh!” Simmons placed her pad on the counter to glance from Vision to the display. “Oh, um… I was working on… On examining the differences in DNA between people who do not have the potential to become Inhuman, and the people of DNA who do, pre-transformation. It’s rather fascinating, actually-” She cut herself off.

Vision, though, nodded agreeably. “Tony always finds his work engaging as well,” he confided in her solemnly. “It is nice to see that it is a trait common to all scientists.”

Simmons smiled at him hesitantly. “Yes, well, that  _ is  _ why we become scientists, after all.”

Vision hummed interestedly. “I see. Yes, that makes sense.” He turned his eyes on the display of her computer. “Would you like me to leave you to your work, Ms. Simmons?”

He knew her name? “Oh, no, it’s fine. Don’t worry.” She glanced at him again, unable to stop the race of her heart at his human-shaped, but so clearly far from human face.

He caught her look and tilted his head. “Is something wrong?”

She shook her head quickly. “No, not at all!” she said hastily. “I just-”

“You are unused to people like me,” Vision completed, serious again. “I understand. Few people are as well-adjusted as the Avengers.”

Simmons smiled at him apologetically. “I’m sorry. I know it makes Lenalee uncomfortable.”

Vision shrugged. “I am not so young - remember, I have, myself, not been around for very long, but I have all of my predecessor’s memories. I remember very well how humans can be.” He smiled patiently. “It is fine.”

Simmons smiled again, a little more bashfully. “Thank you.”

“Now.” Vision, apparently satisfied, moved closer again, peering over her shoulder. “May I be of any help?”

“I…” Simmons thought this work was possibly secret. Then again, that was sometimes left to her discretion, and this project was one of those times. “I suppose?”

“Excellent.”

* * *

“What are you doing here?” Coulson asked Fury.

“Haunting you,” Fury told him.

Maria rolled her eyes at both of them and wondered how two grown men could be so childish.

Coulson sighed, laughed a little, and turned his attention to Maria, apparently electing to ignore Fury as he probably would a ghost. “Have the Avengers settled in alright?”

Maria turned a little more serious herself and nodded. “The squabbles over rooms have all been sorted out, furniture designated to its places even when it hasn’t been set up, and they started putting pictures up on the largest wall.” She paused. “Revoltingly adorable pictures.”

“Those people are sickening,” Fury provided.

“Ghosts don’t comment on other people’s familial relationships,” Coulson informed Fury. Fury smirked.

“This one does.”

“You’re getting soft in your old age,” Maria decided. “It’s the only explanation for this.”

Fury shrugged and reclined backward, smirking. “Maybe so, but I can still kick your ass, Hill.”

“It wouldn’t be for free,” Maria told him firmly. She wouldn’t deny Fury’s skill - no one who’d seen him in the field would - but hell if she’d go down easy. He snorted.

“Of course not.”

Coulson cleared his throat, but the corner of his mouth was twitching. He was terrible at hiding his amusement. “Any serious arguments?”

“Not at the moment, but-” The corners of Maria’s mouth turned downward. “There are the kids, obviously, and that’s an ongoing problem that seems pretty far from being resolved.” Coulson nodded in understanding. “But, more importantly…” She sighed. “If the SHRA issue doesn’t get resolved soon, we’re going to have a real mess on our hands.”

Coulson sighed as well and nodded. “Of course.” He glanced at Fury. “I don’t suppose you have any suggestions?” He might be a grown man, fully capable of making his own decisions, but advice was always appreciated, and Fury had kept a corrupt organization together for decades.

No such luck. Fury snorted and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender, or possibly indicating that he’d washed his hands of the issue. “Like I said, Coulson. Your party.”

Coulson wished him a slow, painful death involving weasels and raw meat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was recently informed that AO3 was eating my line breaks, so I'll go through and fix those at some point. Sorry to anyone who was confused!


	36. Forward Motion

Natasha felt… unsettled, at best.

At heart, Natasha was an agent - an assassin and a spy. She liked to know things, to understand what she was getting into, and when she didn't know and had to find out, she liked to know that, too.

It wasn't often that she found herself blindsided, and even less that it genuinely upset her. She had felt this way when Clint was compromised by Loki, when she heard of Coulson's supposed death, when she'd thought Steve was dead and realized the idea genuinely terrified her-

And she felt it again now, every time the thought of what they'd learned crossed her mind.

She didn't show it, of course. After training her whole life to hide her emotions, Natasha was not sure she still had the ability to show this depth of feeling - certainly not as Steve did, with a tearstained face and a gym strewn with inches of sand and bloody knuckles that made it stick together in clumps.

After what Steve had gone through in war, Natasha could easily understand what this meant to him.

Worse was the helplessness, the knowledge that there was nothing, nothing at all that they could have done-

"Mommy?"

Natasha looked down to meet Allen's large, worried silver eyes, and smiled at him before pressing a kiss to his forehead, making him giggle and squint. "It's nothing, little angel."

But for Allen, she'd deal with all this and more.

He tilted his head, clearly unsure, but she'd already swept him up and placed him on her hip. He squeaked and clung to her, startled.

"Ready to go?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow.

Most of the Avengers were out, either getting straight to work or finishing the move. Steve and Tony, specifically, were off-base entirely, working through the SHRA _issue_ at Coulson's 'request', which Natasha had backed up, and Pepper wouldn't be moving into the Theta Base for a few more days.

Natasha herself had a meeting with Coulson and a woman she'd recently met called Rosalind, concerning HYDRA and a few projects they were thought to be working on. A meeting which Allen would also be attending, since at the moment there were precisely two people Natasha trusted to look after Allen, and the other was currently off arguing with Stark.

Allen hummed uncomfortably, holding onto her with one gloved hand. (Gloves had been the first and only thing he'd asked for, the implications of which were not lost on Natasha.) After a moment, though, he nodded, which was enough for Natasha to start walking.

"Are you getting used to the new house?" Natasha asked Allen, letting the corner of her mouth twitch up slightly at her own choice of words.

"House," Allen echoed crankily, but he sounded amused, too.

The Theta Base was very much a government-issue building, save perhaps the somewhat haphazard bottom floor, which was mostly Tony's design anyway.

The bottom floor was a general living space, with everything from a gym to the children's playroom to a library and a living room. The other two contained fifteen bedrooms and a large bathroom each, with two of the bedrooms currently designated as 'quiet rooms'. The top floor was currently uninhabited, all of the Avengers and their children staying on the second floor only.

After having apparently decided that his comment needed no further contemplation, Allen added,

"It 'kay."

Natasha hummed sympathetically, and they left the living room to enter the large, open 'walking space', Stark insisted. "Moving is always difficult once you've settled," she agreed. "And there are a lot of new people, aren't there?"

She glanced down at Allen, who'd rested his head against her side, and watched him shrug, and then shiver slightly as she pushed the door open, bringing them both out into the late-winter air.

"I'm not fond of it either," she continued, only just loud enough for him to hear. "Steve's a little uncomfortable too, you know." She felt Allen look up. "None of us are really fond of change."

They reached the SHIELD headquarters - which was, in all honesty, just across the street, even if it was surrounded by an unfriendly fence and any number of security checkpoints - and Natasha nodded to the security team, who knew better than to stop her.

Allen's hand tightened in her shirt, and she felt him press closer to her as they passed through the gate. This was concerning - while fairly normal behavior early on, it had become less so as time passed, which indicated that rather than genuinely getting better, he'd merely grown used to the Avengers.

Or - that was the first explanation to come to mind. Natasha would reserve judgement for now.

"I won't let anything happen," she reminded Allen without looking down. He nodded against her side, but didn't loosen his grip. She hitched him up a little higher and continued on.

The meeting room wasn't difficult to find. Natasha continued talking quietly to Allen, commenting on anything she noticed and subtly making fun of the agents they passed by, but, uncharacteristically, he didn't reply beyond a few soft giggles and hums. Natasha politely ignored this.

Coulson and Rosalind were both inside already. Coulson smiled at her, and Natasha gave him a cool look back, for the purpose of making him aware that she still resented the feigned death. His head and his smile both dropped slightly, turning apologetic, and Natasha let her expression fade as she sat down a seat away from Coulson.

"Agent Romanoff," Coulson greeted, as if the exchange had not occurred. "And Allen." He gave the toddler a friendly smile, and Allen, now on Natasha's lap, tilted his head up to look, and then quickly ducked back down.

"Coulson," Natasha returned, reaching down with one hand to take Allen's tiny left hand in her larger one. He relaxed slightly, and she continued, "Price."

Rosalind nodded at her in return, but her gaze was lingering on Allen, far too interested for Natasha's taste. Natasha's gaze turned cold again, and she cleared her throat.

"I believe you had some information to share?"

"Just so," Coulson agreed with a faint smile. Natasha just caught the motion he made to Rosalind - probably warning her off for her own good. Sure enough, Rosalind removed her gaze from squirming Allen and returned her attention to the matter at hand.

Rosalind nodded and passed a folder to Coulson, who passed it on to Natasha, who took it, set it on the table, and flipped it open one-handed, as her other was still occupied.

"Most of HYDRA's forces are focused on the gathering of Inhumans and other known metahumans-" Rosalind began.

On Natasha's lap, Allen was listening, head resting against Natasha and heart beating a little faster than normal, even with Natasha doing her best to keep him calm. Half his attention was on her heartbeat, soothing and even in one ear, and the rest on the conversation above.

He kept his eyes on Coulson, who he'd at least met before and who Lenalee clearly adored, and off of Rosalind, who frightened him for no better reason than that he had no reason to trust her.

The move itself hadn't been difficult - Allen quite liked moving around, having never stayed in one place for very long at all in his previous life. The new location would be interesting to explore, once Steve and Natasha were once again sure that he wouldn't collapse into a sudden nervous breakdown the instant he parted from them.

It was the people who were the problem.

Once, it wouldn't have been - despite experiences, Allen had loved meeting new people. They were all so interesting, with so many dreams and hopes and each with a past and passions all their own.

Recent _experiences,_ however, had not only brought back the wariness and mistrust from his first childhood, but they had reminded him, in a most sharp and unforgiving manner, how _helpless_ he was at this age. How _little_ he could do, if they once again decided to throw him out, or beat him, or try to kill him in a more _direct_ way. And while he could be reasonably certain that people like him, like his friends, wouldn't try - past experiences had taught him how much more forgiving unusual people were of unusual traits - he wasn't nearly as sure with these new ones.

Most of his friends seemed to get by alright with normal people, of course - Allen couldn't have failed to notice that. Allen wasn't sure what it was about him that people saw and abhorred, but…

It was okay, anyway. He'd just try to avoid them, that was all.

He closed his eyes and listened.

* * *

Bucky, currently unoccupied, was wandering the halls of the SHIELD HQ, learning his way around. The kitchen he'd met Hunter in was almost all the way to one side of the building, with the main quarters not far away from that, and the playroom just a hall or two away. Most of the meeting rooms, by contrast, were almost all the way on the other side, and the labs-

Below, Yuu hissed and tugged at his hand, hard. It was Bucky's metal one, so he didn't quite feel the wrench he might have, but it was still quite noticeable, and he looked down, surprised.

"Yuu?" he questioned.

Yuu scowled up at him, face flushed with anger and something like dismay, and jerked his head at the lab they were approaching - though Bucky had no intention of entering, he'd planned to pass it by.

"No!" Yuu snapped, breath catching somewhat. "I _don't_ wanna _go_ there!"

His expression alarmed Bucky, pinched and upset as it was, and the result was that Bucky nearly reeled back, away from the lab as if he was as disturbed by it was Yuu apparently was.

"The lab?" Bucky asked, both of them now turned around and going to opposite direction. "Who's going to the lab? We're going to the meeting rooms again. I think we missed some of them."

Yuu took a deep breath and nodded, and Bucky felt his hand tighten on the metal one. He squeezed back, gentle enough not to hurt him, and waited until they were far enough away, carefully avoiding the agents they passed.

"What was that?" he asked at last, without looking at Yuu, who was now scowling at the ground, still visibly tense. Yuu's assertion that he didn't want anything to change had gone a long way to reassuring Bucky, but it didn't mean he wasn't going to ask questions - if something upset Yuu that much, he wanted to make sure he could do something about it.

"Scientists," Yuu muttered, which clarified the problem but didn't actually explain _why_ it was a problem. "Don't like scientists."

"You don't?" Bucky asked, genuinely surprised. "You get along with Tony fine."

Yuu looked up to wrinkle his nose at him, scowling faintly. "Tony's fine. I mean - scientists like…" He jerked his head back again, probably indicating the lab.

Bucky frowned, trying to recall what kind of lab it had been. "Biologists?" he ventured at last, recalling the microscopes and the samples and what he'd heard from Vision.

Yuu nodded. "Don't like them," he repeated, frowning. "They…" He hesitated, apparently unsure of what to say, but continued, "They don't know when to stop. They _push."_ Bucky could almost hear Yuu growing older, more mature, just for a moment, the way he occasionally did. "They mess with life and think they're playing God for a fool."

Yuu always sounded bitter when he was at his most mature.

"Yuu…" Bucky was frowning, looking down at him, concerned. Yuu was still scowling, but there was an edge to it, shadowed and ominous. "Did something happen?"

Yuu grunted, sounding half disgusted and half dismissive, and refused to speak, and Bucky made a note to ask again when they were alone.

He wasn't going to make the mistake of not pressing again. Some things needed to be said.

They reached the section of meeting rooms again just as Rosalind left. She paused to nod at Bucky, and then to Yuu, before leaving, and Coulson appeared after her.

He looked a little surprised to see Bucky, but he smiled slightly, inclining his head. "Barnes," he greeted quietly.

Natasha appeared after, looking a little interested herself, and at her feet - pressed close to Natasha and holding one of her hands - Allen smiled at Yuu, opening his mouth to call out a greeting of his own before he apparently took note of Yuu's expression, and his smile faded instantly.

"Bucky," Natasha offered instead, nodding at him and cocking one eyebrow in mild interest. Bucky gave a distracted nod back, and would have moved on if Coulson hadn't caught his attention first.

"I'm actually glad to see you - I had a question."

Bucky paused, tensing slightly, and, for the most part, involuntarily.

"Yes?" he asked cautiously.

"According to Rosalind's intel," Coulson plowed forward, apparently electing to ignore Bucky's clear reservations, "you brought a weapon with you out of HYDRA, and they're currently searching for it rather hard. Any idea what it is?"

Bucky's brow furrowed, and he thought for a moment. Slowly, he shook his head.

"No," he said cautiously. "I sold or dumped everything they gave me - too much chance of there being a tracker in it, or worse. All of it was standard issue, maybe a little customized for optimization, but nothing special. The only things I still have are the arm and-" He stopped, heart going cold for what felt like the hundredth time in the past two weeks.

"And?" Coulson prompted, frowning. Natasha, however, had apparently caught on, because her eyes went cold as well.

"And Yuu," Natasha finished for him.

Allen's eyes darkened and turned concerned, and when Bucky looked down, he found that Yuu had scowled, looking away again.

"They mess with life," he repeated, much more darkly this time, "and think they're playing God for a fool." He tilted his head to look up at Bucky, dark blue eyes meeting Bucky's lighter shade. "They wanted an assassin, so they made one. You knew that, stupid bear."

Yes. Bucky had.

_A human weapon, huh?_

It shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did; he felt tense and frustrated all over again.

_So, Yuu, what else did they do to that end?_

* * *

"How's the log going?"

Coulson's sudden question didn't make Daisy jump as Coulson had hoped, unfortunately, but she did at least look up, looking mildly surprised. Then she frowned slightly.

"Not that well," she admitted, reaching to shut the television off as Coulson sat on the couch beside her. The noise cut off. "There's a lot of missing information, and some of what we know doesn't make sense, or has a pretty vague time frame."

Coulson nodded; he'd known that.

Once it started to become clear how complicated the issue was, and how many differences there were between the alternate Earth's history and this one's, Coulson had ordered Daisy to create a log that estimated the history of the alternate Earth. It was an ongoing project; little else could have made it more obvious just how _little_ they knew.

On that topic…

"Have you checked it today?" he asked. Daisy side-eyed him, frowning in skeptical confusion.

"No," she said cautiously. "I'm the only one with access right now, besides you and May, and I'm the only one who adds to it, so I know everything that's there. Haven't been on for a few days now, since we don't know anything new."

"We do now," Coulson told her, handing her a tablet with the relevant file pulled up. She looked unconvinced, but took it anyway, scanning the information.

It didn't take her long to find the blip, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Bookmen," she echoed quietly. "Unknown event with Yuu… and we didn't have this much information on Innocence. Who did this?" She glanced at Coulson, who looked unperturbed.

"I think Stark found his way onto the server again," Coulson explained, and her eyes widened slightly. "Normally he plays some sort of prank-" He probably still had; they probably wouldn't find it for some time, though. "-but this is one thing he takes as seriously as we do."

Daisy hummed softly, surprise still fading. "That's a surprise."

Coulson thought of how Tony acted with his family and said, "Not really."

* * *

All of these halls looked the same.

Well. Pepper supposed that she was being unfair. There were a few minute differences between them, and occasionally, such as the clear-glass wall of the lab, they were even distinctive. Still, for the most part, the Playground was extremely uniform, even for a government building.

She was never going to find Coulson.

The agents in the hall looked, for the most part, professional, walking briskly and with clear purpose. One, an Asian woman who held her head high and her expression impassive, caught Pepper's eye, and the redhead seamlessly slipped through the thin crowd to match her pace.

"Hello," she greeted, just loud enough to be heard over the sound of the activity in the hall. The woman's head turned slightly toward her, eyebrows raising expectantly.

"Yes?" the woman asked curtly.

"I was wondering if you could show me where to find Coulson," Pepper explained, keeping her demeanor very nearly as professional as the agent's.

"The director?" the agent asked, sounding a little doubtful. Pepper almost laughed; she supposed she wasn't nearly the type that usually dropped into Coulson's office.

"I just finished moving on-base and I thought I'd check in," Pepper explained, smiling slightly. The woman studied her for a long moment, and then Pepper caught the glint of recognition in her eyes. The woman nodded, gaining a look that was suddenly unexpectedly interested.

"I see," the woman acknowledged. They approached a turn and took it, and the woman continued, "He'll be in his office at the moment. I'll show you there."

Pepper smiled. "Thank you," she told the woman gratefully, and then, "What's your name?"

"Agent May," the woman introduced, inclining her head slightly. And then, unexpectedly, "Lenalee is my daughter."

Pepper started slightly. "Oh! Is that so?" She smiled again. "Lavi was very pleased to see her again; he wouldn't stop talking about it."

May's lip curled in amusement. "Neither would Lenalee," she admitted, and they made another turn. "She ran around the whole day, introducing them to the team."

Pepper laughed. "Lavi mentioned that. Yuu wasn't so pleased, though."

May let herself smile a little. "No, I didn't think so."

Pepper smiled in agreement for a few seconds more, and then it faded and she grew serious. "Tony told me about what you talked about."

May's smile vanished as well. "I suppose that was rather unpleasant for you."

'Rather unpleasant' was an understatement, but Pepper nodded. "Lavi had already told us a good amount of it, actually, but I don't think either of us really understood just how bad it was." Pepper glanced at May, green eyes unsettled. "He'd mentioned, actually, that something terrible had been done to Lenalee, but he never told us what."

May's lips thinned into a firm, straight line of disapproval. "I'd like to have a word or two with the Black Order staff," she muttered scathingly. Pepper nodded her agreement, brow furrowed.

"I'm not sure what to do," she admitted, quiet and a little frustrated. "Tony was bad enough - and I'm not suggesting that it was his fault, not at all - but he's an adult. Lavi is just a little boy."

For a long time, May didn't speak, and Pepper didn't, either, tense and worried. Finally, though, the agent spoke.

"Lenalee doesn't like to talk about it."

"Lavi doesn't either," Pepper agreed, but it was clear that May wasn't finished.

"I understand that," May continued, frowning straight ahead. "I'm not fond of talking about the past, either - but she _will_ talk about it." She glanced at Pepper. "She told me once that it makes her feel better afterward."

Pepper considered that for a moment, and then sighed softly and nodded. "Thank you."

A few more moments of silence, and then May returned, clearly reluctant,

"I haven't been around metahumans very often, until these past few years. I'm not sure I'm prepared to raise one."

Pepper smiled, knowing that a hint of sadness would tinge the expression. That was something Pepper could sympathize with all too well, and now it was her turn to consider.

"They're special," she said at last, careful. May didn't look at her, but it was clear she was listening, still tense. "They will always be special, and that's a good thing. But- you can't forget that they're still _humans._ Their hearts are just like ours."

May hummed quietly, neither believing nor disbelieving. Pepper continued to mull the issue over, speaking slowly as she did.

"They'll face discrimination," Pepper continued. "Tony deals with it well, of course, but not everyone does. And…" She hesitated, then said, louder and more decisive, "They'll make mistakes; of course they will. And some of them will be large, and hard to fix, but they're still _mistakes."_ She glanced at May and smiled. "But they'll always be worth it, won't they?"

May's expression softened slightly, and that was answer enough.

They reached a door and May nodded at it.

"This is Coulson's office."

Pepper smiled at her? "Thank you." _For more than one kind of guidance._

May nodded shortly back, looking mildly uncomfortable, and Pepper refrained from laughing and entered.

Sure enough, Coulson was inside, behind his desk. More surprisingly, perhaps, Tony was also inside, looking bored out of his skull as Coulson scolded him for something or other, and Lavi and a little girl were off to one side of the room, giggling.

Pepper pondered whether or not she really wanted to know, then accepted that she had taken on this responsibility and listened.

"-not meant for hacking, Stark-"

This again?

"Mommy!"

Lavi's loud, cheerful voice distracted her, and suddenly he was at her feet, grinning up at her.

"You're here!" he continued, beaming.

Pepper chuckled, crouching down so she was nearly at eye level with him.

"We weren't apart more than a few days," she reminded Lavi, who huffed.

"I don't care," he said stubbornly, but then the frown changed back into a grin, just as the girl wandered over, looking interested. "Mommy! This is Lenalee!"

"Hello, Lenalee," Pepper said agreeably, holding her hand out. Lenalee looked at her curiously for a few long moments, then smiled brightly and shook it.

"Hi," she chirped. "You Lavi's mommy, righ'?"

"That's right," Pepper confirmed.

"Pepper!" Tony piped up, apparently having decided they'd had their moment. Pepper glanced up, the lines of her face settling into an expression both familiar and exasperated. "Pepper, gorgeous, I'm glad you're here. _Save meee!"_

Pepper sighed and straightened up. "What did he do this time?" she asked Coulson.

"He's also hacked SHIELD again," Coulson explained, long-suffering.

Pepper sighed, and then Melinda was distracted as Lenalee appeared in front of her, smiling brightly and now free from Lavi, who was apparently more interested in the brewing trouble his father was in.

"Mommy! Lavi tol' me tha' the Avengers are being all silly about letting them go 'round an' talk t'people," Lenalee told her earnestly, and Melinda both felt a twinge of sympathy and had to try hard not to smile. Of course they'd be protective. "An'! An' Tony 'minds me of brother!" Melinda stilled, but Lenalee's smile never faltered, and finally, Melinda let herself smile as well, listening. "See, he's silly an' 'xciteable an' he makes things he shouldn' sometimes-"

Melinda listened, and in the background, Pepper had apparently joined Coulson in scolding Tony, who whined unabashedly while Lavi laughed.

Melinda's focus, of course, was on the words from Lenalee's mouth and the sparkle in her eyes.

* * *

Fury stared boredly at the television screen as a movie played on it. His arms were crossed, and he leaned against the back of the couch, determinedly ignoring the children scattered across the room.

Yes, Fury was babysitting. He'd been somewhat loathe to do so, but there weren't many people they trusted to take care of their kids, and this latest mission required all of them - not necessarily highly dangerous, but certainly not easy. And so. Fury. (How had Fury landed on any list of 'trustworthy people'?)

Fury wasn't sure how he'd let them talk him into this, anyway. It was probably Romanoff's fault.

Allen and Lavi were well within his range of sight, stacking blocks and attempting to build something. Lavi was being very patient with Allen, who was focused but also clumsy, and the little redhead was, from what Fury had seen of him, unusually quiet at the moment as well.

Yuu and Lenalee, on the other hand, were running around - as far as Fury could tell, Lenalee had stolen Yuu's hair tie, something he'd only started using within the past few days.

Fury hadn't been raised to read people, as Natasha had, nor was he a natural at it, like Pepper. Still, you could only survive as a spy for so long before you started to pick up the skill or else suffer the consequences, and Fury usually preferred to swim rather than sink.

Fury didn't know a whole lot about kids, but he still picked up on some of the more unusual aspects of these particular children - the stillness of Lavi and Allen, Lenalee's grace, Yuu's dark look - and it was easy, with the necessary knowledge, to trace these back to their origin; Fury took a certain amount of satisfaction, in fact, in doing so.

There were other things. Allen's visible uncertainly, his second glances and his shyness, revealed more about him than the boy probably liked. Lavi tended to pay a little too much attention to everything. Yuu stuck close to his own and approached almost no one else.

Fury noticed these things, and others, and he was good at connecting the dots.

As he watched, Yuu tackled Lenalee, who threw the tie to Lavi. Lavi caught it and took off without hesitation, laughing. Yuu growled, pushed himself up, and launched himself after, only to find himself tripping over Allen, who smiled up at the older boy, shy but mischievous, and Yuu growled at him, too.

Strangely enough, though, it wasn't those things - the markers of their past and of their origin - that stood out to Fury the most.

No, what stood out to Fury were the hints of playful defiance in the lines of Allen's body while he faced Kanda down. It was the efficiency with which Lenalee distracted Allen, allowing Yuu to dart past, and the playfulness of Lavi's grin as he 'rescued' Allen and both of them started running away from Yuu, who ran after them, silent and intent.

What stood out to Fury was how much they reminded him of their parents.

He was getting soft in his old age, and he didn't like it.

As he continued to watch the 'fight' play out, feigning indifference, Fury pondered to himself, something he hadn't been especially prone to doing before his faked death and subsequent pseudo-retirement, which had been spent mostly on the run anyway.

It was clear, considering, that Fury was going to die in action. In all honesty, he'd known that for a long time. It had been a recent decision, however, that led to him coming here.

Because being on the run wasn't going to keep him alive much longer, not at this age in this situation, and hell. Fury was a lot of things, but he wasn't a fool, and he wasn't up for dying silently in a hideout somewhere like a coward.

He wanted to go down swinging.

Yuu finally caught Lavi, who begged for mercy, face flushed and grinning. Lenalee and Allen glanced at each other, and then identical smiles stretched across their faces, and both of them lunged to grab at Yuu, who yelped indignantly as he was wrenched off the other five-year-old, and the four of them struggled, mostly Yuu against the three others.

Fury decided enough was enough and stood up, wandered over, and glared down at them until they finally stilled. Yuu scowled up at him in confusion, while Lavi stared with an innocent look that was just like Stark's, Lenalee tilted her head curiously, and Allen pretended not to be alarmed.

"If you hurt each other on my watch, your parents are gonna kick my ass," Fury informed them plainly. "Which means I'll kick your asses because you are not my responsibility."

Most of them giggled, and then Lavi popped up, eyes suddenly sparkling. Fury felt very suspicious. This suspicion was warranted.

"Tell us a story!" Lavi requested.

Fury scowled. "No."

 _"Please_ tell us a story?" Lenalee suggested, popping up right beside Lavi, eyes bright and hopeful.

"No," Fury repeated, turning away with the full intention of going back to finish the movie he wasn't really watching.

"Pwease?"

He looked down and found Allen staring up at him with big silver eyes, and- It fucking figured that even Steve's adopted child would be able to manage a sad, hopeful look _just_ like the grown fucking man who probably could've weaponized it when he was a kid.

Even Yuu looked interested, though he was pretending not to, shuffling in place and glancing at him. Fury huffed.

"Will that make you sit your asses down and shut the fuck up for ten minutes together?" he asked them, injecting as much resentment into his voice as possible.

All of them nodded quickly, even Yuu. Fury sighed.

"Fine!" he scowled.

Lavi cheered, and then Lenalee, and then Allen gave a smile that shouldn't have fit on his tiny face. Fury rolled his one eye and went to sit on the couch, and when he looked down again, the kids had clustered in front of him, expectant. Fury sighed.

Only the Avengers' kids. (He ignored the fact that Lenalee was not actually the child of one of the Avengers.)

"Listen up, you asked for this so you better pay attention. First random-ass mission to come to mind is that one in Kazakhstan-"

* * *

"Miss Simmons?"

To her own surprise, Simmons barely jumped this time. She looked over her shoulder to smile distractedly at Vision. "Oh, hello, Vision. It's good to see you."

Vision smiled at her. "And you as well." He glanced down at her current occupation, and she had to resist the urge to cover the screen. "I have not seen this project before. May I ask what it is?"

Her smile faded, and she glanced down, pensive and unhappy. "It's…" She stopped, sighed, and tried again. "A while ago, I was taken into a portal and ended up on a planet in an unknown galaxy. There was a man who was there before me, Will Daniels - he wasn't able to come back when I did. We - Fitz and I, mostly, are trying to bring him back."

Vision hummed, coming a little closer. "I see. Is there any way that I could be of use?"

Simmons turned to give him a surprised look, and he smiled.

"I… Maybe," she breathed.


	37. Professionalism

It was hard to appreciate how small children were, Coulson mused, until you tried to work with them on level ground.

Coulson was currently, under the mixed guidance of Link and Lavi, attempting to draw a diagram of the Black Order's power structure, complete with notes on responsibilities and statistics, the latter of which were mostly supplied by Lavi.

At the moment, Lavi and Link were arguing over the Bookmen's place in the hierarchy while Coulson watched, amused. Both of them were kneeling on either side of the diagram; Lavi had gone straight there, but Link had tried to maintain his dignity by first kneeling on a chair, and then standing on it when he still wasn't tall enough. By now, of course, he'd given up entirely to kneel on the table. And he still wasn't quite level with Coulson.

Glancing down at the chart - which was scattered with circles, x-marks, arrows, and squeezed-in notes - Coulson winced. This was not, he decided, going well.

Coulson was not a good artist, nor did he have legible handwriting. Likely the only reason he was the one doing this was that Link assured him that Lavi knew more than even he did, and Pepper and Tony, between them, had made it very difficult to get Lavi alone, which he would need to be if he was going to give information that wasn't either heavily censored or watered-down.

Speaking of overprotective parents… Coulson eyed the silver-colored, deceptively simple watch around Lavi's right wrist. Perhaps he should have a talk with Stark regarding the distinction between a 'safety net' and an 'invasion of privacy'.

Lavi caught his gaze and paused in his impassioned explanation to exasperated Link in order to grin at him.

"I don't even know what all it does," he admitted cheerfully. "Maybe I'll ask Vision later. Or FRIDAY."

FRIDAY had recently been installed into the Theta base, though Coulson understood she was still hooked up to Avengers Tower as well. He wished he were surprised.

"I have been warned not to tell you, on pain of death," Coulson informed him. "I have no doubt that Vision and FRIDAY were as well."

Lavi laughed. "Sounds like Daddy."

Link snorted, a small smile curving his lips. "How do you find these people?"

"It's a gift!" Lavi insisted, grinning at Link, who smiled back reluctantly.

"What _does_ it do?" Link asked suddenly, glancing at the watch, effectively distracted from the argument.

Lavi shrugged. "Like I said, I dunno. This-" He pointed at a small button opposite the knob you would use to change the time. "Is a panic button, and I think there's a tracker too."

Both of those things were true. Coulson also happened to know that it monitored Lavi's vitals, as well as constantly streaming audio to FRIDAY, who monitored it for anything suspicious. Coulson suspected there was more, but that was as much as he knew.

Quietly, Coulson coughed. "I believe we were discussing the Bookmen?" He tapped the diagram with a small smile, withholding a chuckle at Link's slight blush.

"They're outside the power structure!" Lavi said firmly, straightening up.

"Whatever, _Bookman Apprentice,"_ Link muttered, rolling his eyes. Lavi stuck his tongue out at him, and Link stuck his tongue out back for a moment before continuing, "They had a little more authority than a standard exorcist or even a general, but only in their capacity as Bookmen, and they couldn't give orders."

"Even the generals couldn't give orders," Lavi pointed out, still looking petulant despite his victory.

"What's the point, then?" Coulson asked with interest. He made a floaty box away from all the connected boxes and labelled it 'Bookmen'; the text spilled slightly out of the box, which he had apparently made too thin.

"It's a statement of power," Lavi said promptly, watching Coulson fill in the appropriate information under the floaty box. (Silently, Coulson hoped to God that Daisy would be able to decode all of this, because he certainly wouldn't remember half of it.) "It basically means that they're so strong that Central can't really tell them what to do anymore, so they're allowed to wander around with Innocence in their pockets, as long as they say they're looking for accommodators." Lavi smiled crookedly. "No one's gonna turn that down, see, even with all the akuma outside the Order."

Coulson 'hm'ed and added that note to the 'generals' box.

"And then the European Branch Head is in charge of the Black Order," Link continued, crossing his arms to huff at Lavi, eyes sparkling in silent challenge while Lavi just grinned. "Because European Branch has all the exorcists."

"He still can't tell them what to do, though," Lavi added cheerfully. Link nodded in agreement.

Coulson made an arrow from the European Branch Head box, pointing toward the top of the paper.

 _"Phil!"_ Link complained.

Coulson glanced at him, a small smile flitting onto his face. "Yes?" he asked mildly.

"That's so _messy!"_

Coulson looked down and had to agree. "Daisy will know what I mean," he said without conviction. Link scowled at him, and Lavi slapped a hand over his mouth to hide a giggle.

"Your funeral," Link muttered. "And then Central was directly under the Vatican, which funded and controlled the Order." Coulson marked that down. "And then there were the CROW."

The tension that suddenly filled the room was subtle, but distinct, and Lavi's smile was gone. Coulson's faded as well and he nodded at Link.

"The CROW were formed to help the Order in any way they could," Link explained carefully, eyes focused on the paper. "They were meant to protect people - anyone more valuable themselves with their lives, and anyone else they possibly could with all of their skills."

That didn't exactly tally with what Coulson knew of them so far, but he wrote it down without question, remaining silent.

"A CROW underwent seven years of training before they were put on the field," Link continued, "And when it was finished, they were marked with two dots on their forehead." He reached up and tapped his own, a spot just above his eyebrows and then another, slightly higher. "They used, mostly, switchblades hidden in the sleeves and an array of spells. Sometimes they used CROW needles, which were also spelled."

"The CROW spells I saw the most were Binding Wings and Flame Wings," Lavi put in, glancing at Link, face suddenly impassive. It was an almost unnerving contrast from moments before. "Right?"

Link nodded.

"CROW were completely loyal to the Vatican, and especially to Leverrier," Link continued, and Coulson drew an arrow from CROW to Leverrier. "Any lapses were not tolerated; all orders were followed to the letter. I was exempted because exorcists are inherently more valuable than CROW, but…" He swallowed. "That only lasted until the end of the War."

 _And then you were hanged,_ Coulson finished silently. Well used to hiding his emotions by now, at least when needed, the tightening of his shoulders was the only sign he gave of recalling this.

The video of the exorcists sitting in a circle and sharing how they'd died had been wiped from the system, but not, Coulson suspected, before Tony had seen it. He wondered how the man had reacted.

"Some of the CROW," and here Link hesitated, if only for a moment, "agreed to subject to themselves to an experiment. It failed and all of them died." He glanced up at Coulson. "They were called the Third Exorcists."

Which, Coulson couldn't fail to note, implied the existence of Second Exorcists.

He wrote it down without comment, and made a mental note to tell Daisy to add a blank entry later. The details would come out eventually. Coulson, much as he disliked the task, would make sure of it.

 _Damn you, Fury._ Coulson was certain that this burning need to be thorough was entirely the fault of the previous, excessively paranoid director.

"Is that it?" Coulson asked, when neither boy made a move to add any more.

Link glanced away - Coulson suspected because of the unmentioned Second Exorcists - and then looked at Lavi in question. "That's it, right?"

Lavi studied the diagram intently for a few moments, and then nodded firmly. "Yeah, that's it." He glanced up, meeting Link's eyes, and grinned. "'Bout time. Boring, huh?"

Link didn't look too convinced, but he nodded anyway, moving to swing his legs over the edge of the table so they dangled. "Boring," he echoed quietly.

Lavi mirrored his movement, sneakered feet swaying in the air. He leaned back to grin at the ceiling, and asked Coulson with interest, "Why do you care, anyway?"

"Why do _you_ care?" Coulson returned, withdrawing the diagram to fold it up.

"'Cause," Lavi grinned, kicking one foot absently. "It's my job!"

Coulson inclined his head with a small smile. "SHIELD is very thorough," he explained.

Lavi 'hm'ed, and Link glanced at him before tilting his head up to look at Coulson.

"Do you show Mom this stuff?" he asked gingerly.

Coulson had to hide a flinch at the thought. "It's not exactly public viewing."

"But it's relevant, isn't it?" Link asked without taking his eyes off Coulson. Coulson paused to frown at him.

"Do you _want_ her to see?" Coulson asked dubiously. He knew his sister, and while she was strong - certainly far more so than your average civilian, and better prepared as well - there were very few people in the world prepared for this sort of thing.

Link hesitated, and then said, haltingly, "I'll tell her. Some of it." His eyes flicked to the ground. "I already told her… you know. About the reincarnation."

Coulson's mouth twitched downward as he drew the obvious conclusion. "But you don't want to tell her the details." Like how he'd once been part of the organization that had ultimately been the deaths of all of them.

It was a redundant worry, of course, but an understandable one.

Link shook his head.

"Cheer up, two-spot," Lavi said, breaking back in with ease, and with a softer edge to his smile than was necessarily normal for him. "She'll take it fine."

"Yes," Coulson agreed, when Link didn't look convinced. "She will."

Link just shrugged.

* * *

"So," Bucky said, suddenly enough to make Yuu jump. "Biologists, huh?"

Kanda turned around, frowning at him. He'd been entertaining himself with the climbing rope installed in the gym while Bucky worked with the punching bag, but Bucky apparently wasn't content with that. Kanda slid down what little of the rope he'd managed to climb, but didn't let go of it.

"What about them?" Yuu asked dubiously.

Bucky's eyes were intent. Yuu had a bad feeling about this. "I know I've asked you this before, but you didn't give me much of an answer - what did they have you do, when I was in cryo?"

Yuu scowled and looked away, dropping his gaze to focus on the floor instead. His small hands tightened on the rope. "I woke up in a vat," he said at last. "With a tube in my belly." He glanced up at Bucky, whose blue eyes were focused on his, his large, muscular body motionless, nothing but his tension betraying his emotion. "I didn't know what had happened at first, but I didn't like any of it." A frown tugged at his mouth, eyes dark. "They _made_ me."

Bucky nodded slowly. "I knew most of that." His eyes flicked briefly down to where Yuu's navel should have been, where the little plastic port still rested instead.

Yuu shrugged, looking away again, this time at the wall to his right. Anywhere but at Bucky. "They gave me to you first, for maybe one mission, I don't really know. Then when I got back, they started training."

"You were a baby," Bucky pointed out. Yuu shrugged.

"Yeah? So they were limited." He scowled. "So far. I didn't have to speak the language, any of them-" Though he did now, at least a little for each one. "-to know what they wanted from me. They wanted a _human weapon,_ and if I'd been a normal baby, they might've gotten one."

"What did they do?" Bucky gave up keeping his distance to cross the intervening yards and sat down beside Yuu. Yuu looked down at him for a long moment, and then dropped down to sit cross-legged beside him, facing his direction.

"Conditioning," Yuu shrugged. "Some sensory stuff. Gave me blank weapons to play with - y'know, unloaded guns, dummy grenades, stuff like that." A small frown appeared on Bucky's face. "They had a schedule, I think, for stuff they were trying to teach me - languages, mostly. Still remember some of that. Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Telugu, Indonesian, Swahili, and Turkish, I think."

"From the major language families," Bucky noted. Yuu shrugged.

"I dunno, I guess." Did that mean he could try and learn more languages than the beansprout knew? Worth thinking about. "Then they did exercises and stuff - that was weird." Too weird. Ugh. Stop thinking about it.

Bucky was still looking at him.

"What?" Yuu demanded, scowling at him.

"If that were it," Bucky said with absolute certainty, "you wouldn't dislike them so much."

Instantly, Kanda's gaze dropped.

No, that wasn't it. But it was stupid. He shouldn't care so much.

Still, it was hard to be deprived of one of the few things he'd had full freedom over, before.

When Bucky showed no signs of letting up, Yuu offered quietly, "They didn't like me showing emotion." He glanced up to see a deep frown on Bucky's face. "Facial expression, noises, whatever. They didn't like it." He considered. "Maybe they were trying to make me mute." Would make a lot of sense, actually. "A couple of them would hit me for it, most just pinched me-" He shook it off. "But it wasn't that. It's just…" He scowled. "They _made_ me. To be a human weapon for them. They didn't know what could have happened."

He wondered if it would've been better, or worse, if the Order scientists had tried to condition him and Alma the same way the HYDRA scientists had tried to condition him.

Bucky's gaze never wavered. "But you do?"

Yuu thought he heard a hint of strain in Bucky's voice, but his thoughts distracted him, and he scowled harder. _More than I ever would've wanted to._ "...Yeah."

"How?"

 _Why won't you let it fucking go?_ Yuu shook his head sharply. _No more secrets,_ he reminded himself.

"I was born this way last time, too," he explained, and finally, Bucky's mask broke and he inhaled sharply. Yuu drew his knees to his chest and hugged them, scowling at nothing Bucky could ever see. "The Order scientists made me. From the brain of a dead exorcist."

"...Are you telling me this is your _third time?"_ Bucky's voice sounded strangled; it was amusing enough for Yuu to break his scowl, glancing up at him with an ironic smirk.

"Yeah." Then, seeing the pain in Bucky's expression, he added, "I hardly remember anything from the first time." Just Alma. Just the woman he'd once loved. "It doesn't matter." Not after everything that happened.

"It matters to _me,"_ Bucky told him firmly, and he reached out, one metal hand curling around Yuu's thin arm. Yuu barely reacted, keeping his eyes on Bucky's. "What happened?"

Kanda's gaze slid away, discomfort coloring his expression. "They wanted me to be a human weapon, too," he said at last. _Me and Alma._ "They gave me my curse, so that nothing could kill me." Which had worked out so well.

Bucky's grip tightened slightly - not enough to hurt, but enough to show his displeasure, none of it directed at Yuu. "You are _not_ a human weapon," he told Yuu, his voice very nearly a growl.

"I know," Yuu said quietly, not looking at him. He knew that. Technically. Except, practically, the only thing he was good for was killing. And what did that make him?

"You are _not."_ Bucky's voice was deeper and more frustrated this time, startling Yuu. He took a deep breath to calm himself, and then continued, more careful but just as firm, "You are a child, Yuu, no matter what may have happened in the past, and no matter what people have tried to make you do."

Yuu blinked up at him, startled, and then a small smile curled his lips. "Stupid bear," he mumbled.

He wasn't going to tell Bucky about the rest of the Second Exorcist project - about how it ended. But he would, probably. Someday. On impulse, though, he added, "Only one other subject ever woke up. His name was Alma, and he died."

Bucky squeezed his arm again, but instead of angry, this time it was comforting. Yuu closed his eyes and curled up a little tighter.

"Were you good friends?" Bucky asked him.

"...Something like that." For a few moments, both of them were silent, and then, abruptly, Yuu jerked to his feet, and spun around to look at Bucky, neither smiling nor frowning. "I'm gonna try to climb again."

Bucky let a small smile flicker across his face and nodded at him. "I'll be keeping an eye on you. Don't climb higher than your own height, or I'll come take you down myself."

Yuu snorted at him, and they both broke away again.

If Bucky was hitting the punching bag a little harder than he had before, well, Yuu wasn't going to say anything.

* * *

_It was nighttime; the moon rose high above Allen's head, and a tree loomed over him. He crouched in front of a grave, but before he could look at it, he heard that voice._

_The Millennium Earl. Mana. Neah. Adam. All reverberating together to ask him one question._

_"Would you like your father back?"_

_No! No, no, no-_

_His body didn't listen to him, and, horrified, he heard his voice answer, croaky and weak, "Yes."_

_"Then call his name."_

_Don't do it! NO! But he couldn't stop himself; he had no control._

_"...Daddy." Not loud enough. "DADDY!"_

_"...Allen?"_

_Panic washed over Allen's body, too tiny, too weak, and his breath froze in his chest; he couldn't breathe. Because that wasn't Mana's voice at all. That was-_

_"Allen, I can't believe you would do this. How dare you? HOW DARE YOU TURN ME INTO AN AKUMA?"_

_Steve._

_Allen couldn't move, he was trembling in place, rooted to the spot, staring at the mobile akuma skeleton, looming over him and casting a shadow that consumed him completely. The moon lit the skeleton from the back; from this angle, Allen could only see the dark silhouette. It was enough. It was too much._

_"Damn you, Allen!"_

_Allen almost thought that was Steve again, but no - he found the strength to move and whirled around, reaching for Natasha, pleading with her to fix this mess he'd made, he messed up again, he messed up again-_

_But she was glaring at him, eyes like chips of cold mountain stone, and he flinched away, eyes widening in further terror._

_There was nowhere to go,_

_"How dare you?" she spat at him, and he took a step back._

_Behind him, the skeleton holding Steve's soul swiped at him, and he yelped to stumble forward, and then Natasha grabbed him, and the next thing he knew, he was rolling in the dirt; Natasha had thrown him._

_Allen was crying now. He didn't know what had happened, he would never turn Steve into an akuma, never-_

_"But you would turn me, wouldn't you, Allen?" Mana crooned, and there was a second skeleton. "You would turn me."_

_"I'm sorry!" he screamed shrilly, trying to push himself up and failing, because he was too weak, too weak- "I'M SORRY!"_

_"It doesn't matter if you're sorry."_

_That was Natasha again, and then it was too dark, and there were walls pressing in on all sides, and the scent of alcohol clogged his nose._

_"You aren't even trying!"_

Allen woke up crying and hyperventilating, and he tried to stifle it in the little stuffed dog - a gift from Tony - that he had clutched to his chest, but he couldn't control himself, he was too weak, too weak- He wasn't trying hard enough- He was sorry-

"Allen? Little angel?"

In stark contrast to the harsh voices in his nightmares, Natasha's call was concerned, the edges softened by sleepiness. Allen bit the ear of the dog, trying to muffle his sobs, but that just made it harder to breathe.

He was sorry, he was sorry, he was sorry- Please don't leave-

A few moments later, he felt himself scooped up against a chest, and then Natasha was up, and the motions of her walk, the bounce and sway, provided a rhythm for Allen to calm himself with, her tired voice a counterpoint to his panic. Slowly, he started to calm.

Natasha was here. She wasn't mad. It was okay.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Natasha asked at last.

She sounded tired, and Allen felt bad, but he just nodded silently, breath still a little fast and irregular. It was okay. It was okay. No one was leaving. No one was throwing him away.

"Nat?" Allen heard the rustle of bedcovers as Steve stirred, and then a muffled yawn. "Something wrong with Allen?"

"He had a bad dream," Natasha explained, fingers threaded in Allen's hair, just sitting there. "Is Tony almost done?"

Allen heard another muffled yawn, and then Steve's feet hit the ground with a soft thud. "Yeah. He's got it narrowed down to a couple good options."

Vaguely, Allen wondered what they were talking about, but found himself too tired to care. He hated nightmares; it had been a long time since he'd had one.

He hated them.

"Good." Then, quietly, "Little angel? Can you go back to sleep for me?"

Instead of answering, Allen let his eyes fall closed, and drifted off again, warm and much safer than he felt anywhere else, Red the stuffed dog still clutched to his chest.

* * *

"Miri Thompson," Coulson announced, bringing up the final candidate so that both he and Tony could see it.

Working with Tony on this had been almost unnerving; apparently the other man had put a lot of thought into this, with a list of candidates and their various pros and cons constructed long before Coulson brought it up to him.

Well, Coulson supposed that it was sort of obvious how much the kids needed help. Help they couldn't provide.

Tony's eyes were intent on the profile on the holographic screen, scanning the information. Coulson continued to read it aloud anyway, watching Tony for a reaction.

"Thirty-four years old, half Hispanic on her mother's side, lives alone in an apartment near her workplace. Started off dealing with child abuse cases, then transferred into SHIELD to become a counselor there when her older brother became an agent. When SHIELD fell, she and her brother both got back out, and she currently deals with both child abuse and trauma cases. Gained some experience dealing with metahumans while working for SHIELD and known to be pro-metahuman, with a great deal of patience and a notably good track record-"

Coulson continued on until Tony nodded decisively and dismissed the screen, cutting off whatever further material Coulson could have read off.

"She should be good," Tony agreed. "But we should send someone to talk to her first."

"I'm sure Agent May would be perfectly willing," Coulson offered instantly.

"What about Natasha?" Tony argued, frowning. "She's well-known and scary as hell, if this lady can handle her she'll _probably_ be able to handle whatever she hears-"

"Or we could send in the Captain," Coulson countered, watching Tony scowl slightly. "He should be able to get honesty out of her whether she wants it or not."

"And Natasha wouldn't?" Tony countered, and so they argued.

Possibly, though, it was a moot point. They weren't exactly spoiled for choice.

Still, Tony would be damned if he settled for second best.


	38. Conscription

Lenalee and Allen both knelt on the pristine counter, watching avidly as Fury conjured various items from different parts of the kitchen - milk from the fridge, ice cream from the freezer, chocolate syrup from the pantry, cups from a high cupboard, and a blender from a low cabinet.

"I need to go haunt Coulson about his expenditures," Fury muttered.

Lenalee and Allen both giggled, and Fury straightened up to fix the both with a stern look. In response, both of them straightened as well, giving him matching, expectant looks.

"Your mission," he started, with all seriousness, "is to make the largest mess you possibly can while still making it look like an accident."

Both toddlers' eyes widened, and Fury couldn't restrain the smirk that stretched across his face. (If Coulson didn't want a mess to be make of his senior team's kitchen, he shouldn't have foisted tiny children on him.)

"My mission," he continued, lips twitching, "is to teach you how to make a milkshake." They started giggling again. Fury ignored them. "First step - oh, for fuck's sake, we do need some of that."

Allen yelped and withdrew his hand, sticking a vanilla-coated finger in his mouth and offering him a guilty smile. Fury rolled his visible eye.

"The first step is to scoop some ice cream out. _With a spoon."_ He gave Lenalee a large spoon. "Make a mess."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Lenalee chirped, and Fury reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Did Stark put you up to that?" he demanded.

"Uh-huh," Lenalee nodded, brow furrowing as she put all of her weight on the spoon, now buried deep in the nearly-full carton.

Allen considered the situation for a moment, then reached over and added his weight on, which was enough to dislodge a chunk of ice cream the size of Allen's (tiny) fist and send it flying across the room, where it hit the wall with a wet thud.

Both of them stared at it, wide-eyed. It slid off the wall and hit the floor.

"Oopsie," Allen mumbled, giving Fury a wary, sideways glance.

Fury, however, was smirking, and when Allen caught his eye, the tall man gave him a firm nod.

"Your mission's barely begun," he told him, jerking his thumb at the assembled supplies. "Get to it, agent."

Allen smiled hesitantly. Lenalee, far less reserved and far more at ease in the area, wasn't nearly as restrained, and she grabbed Allen's wrist, getting his attention. When he looked at her, her brown eyes were sparkling with delighted mischief.

"C'mon, Allen! Let's have _fun."_

And have fun they did. By the time they were through with the kitchen, there was ice cream on the walls, milk on the counter, and chocolate syrup on the floor (and the ceiling). The two toddlers' clothes were sticky in places and soaked in others, and Fury's weren't much better off. Lenalee's face was flushed pink from laughter, and Allen couldn't stop giggling.

Fury was very satisfied.

"Good work, agents," he monotoned, smirking at the mess Coulson would have to find high-level agents willing to clean.

"Yeah!" Lenalee cheered, and she and Allen high-fived, still laughing. "Mission 'ccomplished!"

"Missin 'ccomplissed," Allen agreed. A drop of chocolate syrup fell from the ceiling and hit him smack between the eyes, and he went cross-eyed to look at it, then reached up, wiped it off with a finger, and stuck the finger in his mouth.

Meanwhile, Fury dumped the contents of the blender into the three cups, which were, surprisingly, still clean enough to be usable. He took the largest one, and then Lenalee and Allen claimed the other two. For a few minutes, they were mostly silent while Fury silently laughed at Lenalee and Allen very carefully trying not to spill milkshake all over themselves, since they actually wanted to drink it now.

Finally, Lenalee, half-done, sighed over her cup and grinned at Allen, who smiled back.

"Is it fun here?" she wanted to know. He ducked his head, and Fury raised one eyebrow, unnoticed but definitely interested.

"Yeah," he said softly, smiling. "Kinda." He glanced over at her, giving her a small, cheeky smile. "It weally nice t'see you 'gain, an... " He shrugged. "Guess the people'we 'kay."

He sounded a lot less certain about that last, something neither Lenalee nor Fury missed.

Lenalee reached over and patted his syrupy hair reassuringly. "They really nice," she encouraged him. "Promise!"

Allen smiled a little and nodded at her, and then took a sip and yelped as some of the milkshake slopped over him. Then, in unison, the two of the started to laugh again.

When he finally managed to stop himself, Allen wiped it off the best he could (which mostly just replaced it with dampness borne of milk) and continued, "Wan'a likes Bobbi, she sai', an' mos' of th'othews foun' fweinds too. So dey like it hewe."

"I like 'em, too," Lenalee told him with a bright smile. "All of 'em are really nice. An' they fun! With them 'around, it kinda reminds me of the Order."

Allen smiled and nodded as well. "Mm-hm."

Apparently that was a good thing. Fury snorted, drawing their attention. This turned out to be unfortunate for him, and he wondered where all his precious espionage skills went. (Too many years wasting away behind a desk, he supposed.)

"Nick! How'd you meet 'em?" Lenalee wanted to know.

Damn that wide-eyed look. "How do you think? Missions."

Allen tilted his head hopefully, placing the emptied cup neatly on his lap. "Story?" he asked hopefully.

"Will you make a crying face at me if I don't?" Fury asked him grumpily. Allen smiled at him brightly, and he scoffed. "Fine. Get over here."

Allen set the cup on the soaked counter and stood up shakily, then wobbled over to Fury, who held a hand out expectantly. Allen yelped and nearly fell as he slipped in a puddle of milk, and Lenalee yelped as well, stretching a hand out.

Fury, who had more or less expected that to happen, caught Allen, scooped him up, and dumped him unceremoniously in the sink.

"Try and clean yourself up enough so you don't drip mess _everywhere,"_ Fury told him. Allen smiled sheepishly and nodded, and Lenalee attracted his attention.

"How'd you meet 'em?" she repeated insistently, scooting to the edge of the counter and dangling her feet off the edge. Behind him, he heard the water turn on and the start of a few wet splashes.

"I met Natasha first," Fury started, repressing a snort at the memory. "Barton - her old partner - brought her back after a mission because he _does not follow goddamn protocol-"_

Lenalee watched him intently, and Fury pretended that he didn't know he was being distracted. It was good espionage training for her, he told himself.

* * *

"Pepper Potts?"

Ignoring the startled looks and stares, Pepper gracefully stood up, folder tucked neatly under her arm, nodded at the receptionist, and followed the man who'd come to call her in.

He showed her to an office three halls down, and when she made it clear she wouldn't be going inside until he left, he did. With that, Pepper turned her eyes on the door, straightened into the same highly professional posture she used on board members and Tony at his most stubborn, and entered.

The woman inside, Miri Thompson, was already behind her desk, sitting as straight as Pepper was standing, her hands clasped on the surface of the desk. Locks of straight, dark brown hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and as Pepper watched, she reached up to push wire-frame glasses back up the bridge of her nose.

Finally, Miri smiled politely in greeting and gestured to the chair across from her with a honey-brown hand. "Welcome, Mrs. Potts. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Pepper inclined her head slightly with a polite smile of her own and sat down in the seat indicated, folding her hands on her lap and crossing her legs at the ankles. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well. Thank you for agreeing to this meeting."

"Of course," Miri assured her. "Would you like to get straight to business, then?"

"If you don't mind," Pepper replied, intent gaze never wavering from Miri's brown eyes.

Miri held up, as it turned out, admirably well, though there was no mistaking the hint of nervousness in her eyes and on the edge of her smile. "Very well. I understand I'd be working with upwards of four children, mostly the children of the Avengers, correct?"

Pepper nodded. "Lavi Stark, Yuu Barnes, Allen Rogers-Romanoff, and Lenalee May," she explained. "And perhaps a few more if it goes well."

Miri nodded in understanding, some of the nervousness fading away as she settled into the rhythm of her work. "May I ask what these children are like?" At Pepper's sharp look, she explained, "It would help give me an idea of how to approach them."

"I see," Pepper murmured, laying the folder under her arm flat across her lap. She saw Miri glance down at it curiously and distracted her before she could inquire. "Lavi is, of course, my own son and Tony's. He's far more intelligent than he generally pretends to be." She smiled briefly at Miri's chuckle, and then continued, "He and Lenalee are the most open and outgoing - Yuu and Allen are both very reserved." At Miri's nod of acknowledgement, she continued, "Yuu is a little irritable, but wouldn't hurt a fly, really." She smiled tightly. "He talks less the more frustrated he gets, though. Allen is very shy and easily intimidated; the others are very protective of him." She exhaled. "I'm afraid I don't know Lenalee very well, but from what I've seen of her, she's mischievous and cheerful."

"Thank you, that will help a lot," Miri nodded. "However, I have one concern."

Pepper inclined her head in comprehension. "Yes?"

"I specialize in child abuse cases and trauma victims," Miri said frankly, relaxing her posture slightly so her arms were more casually folded and she leaned forward slightly. "Unless there is something that hasn't reached the media, I would question whether I'm really the best person for this."

Pepper smiled tightly. "And herein lies the problem." Finally, she lifted the folder, and placed it in front of Miri, who flipped it open instantly, probably out of habit, Pepper judged with a touch of amusement. "That is a nondisclosure agreement - I'm sure you've seen them before."

Miri's eyes flicked briefly up to her, intent all over again. "You're aware that I am legally bound, as a therapist, to keep quiet about all of my clients' personal issues?"

"Mr. Stark and I are very thorough," Pepper smiled. _Not to mention Natasha, Melinda, Coulson-_ A lot of thought had gone into this.

Miri nodded, but didn't sign it yet. "Would I be keeping a secret that would put yourselves or others in danger?"

"Not at all," Pepper assured her, noting that she didn't just jump in and sign it - a point in her favor. "The only danger involved is the kind we're seeking help for here."

That was apparently enough for Miri; she reached forward to take a pen from a can of them sitting by her closed laptop, and then paused, pen poised over the dotted line as she read over the contract, while Pepper waited patiently.

Finally, she signed the document briskly and handed it back to Pepper. "There we are. What else do you need to tell me?"

Pepper let her smile fade into a somewhat more serious look, and saw Miri straighten up again, startled.

"There is an emerging group of metahumans," Pepper started, watching Miri's gaze sharpen, "who originate from an alternate dimension. SHIELD is still, with the help of the Avengers and a few others, putting together the exact history of that dimension, but we know that there was a war of disastrous proportions, far more devastating than the one against HYDRA."

Miri tilted her head slightly, never taking her eyes off Pepper. "And?"

"On one side of the war, there were, among others, people called exorcists," Pepper continued, refusing to let her expression so much as twitch. "For lack of a better term, this is how we've been referring to those reincarnated into this world."

Astonishment started to spread across Miri's face. "The children?"

"Four of these," Pepper confirmed, "out of the eight located so far. Any other clients we asked you to take would fall into this category as well."

Miri took a deep breath, and Pepper could see the younger woman steeling herself. "Very well. I understand. Could you give me a better idea of what I would be dealing with?"

"All of them fought in this war from the time they were children," Pepper said promptly. Miri flinched lightly, pain briefly flashing across her face, and Pepper smiled humorlessly. "Yes, that more or less was our reaction as well." She sighed. "By my understanding, Lenalee was six when she was drawn in, Allen was ten, Lavi was sixteen, and Yuu was involved his entire life. All of them were dead before the age of twenty-three."

Miri reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose, stress lines already starting to crease her face. And she hadn't even started yet. Pepper sympathized, she really did. "Now I think I understand why you came to me," she mumbled.

"Exactly," Pepper agreed, allowing an edge of ruefulness to enter her tone. "Keeping this in mind, do you think you can handle it?" It was an honest question, and honestly, Pepper wouldn't blame her for saying no. Though she would certainly be disappointed.

Miri hesitated for a long moment, and then took a deep breath and looked up to smile wearily at Pepper. "Yes, I believe so. Thank you for the warning. Is that all?"

"Yes, that's all," Pepper smiled, closing the folder again and rising to her feet. "Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Thompson." Her smile warmed slightly. "I'm sure no one else will hear about this."

"Of course not," Miri promised.

"Good." Pepper turned around, paused, and added, with the most emotion Miri had heard her use so far, "I love my child very much, you realize, and the Avengers are… _very_ protective of the little ones." She glanced over her shoulder. "Do you follow?"

Miri shivered slightly; she couldn't help it. "Yes, I follow."

"Good," Pepper repeated, and then left, the door swinging shut behind her.

As soon as she was gone, Miri shuddered and let herself relax into an almost limp state, tugging her glasses off to spin them around by one arm.

"What have I gotten myself into this time?" she mumbled to herself.

Outside, Pepper shivered a little herself, relaxing as she allowed the emotion that she had so ruthlessly suppressed during the meeting to return. And then she smiled, relieved and pleased.

They were one step closer to getting the kids help.

* * *

Allen had started off scared out of his mind, but that, as it panned out, was swiftly fading into the excitement of play.

They were in the Playground again. Natasha, Steve, and Bucky had gotten out of a meeting (which he and Yuu had also attended) and while Steve had immediately had to go off somewhere else, Natasha and Bucky had decided to stick around for a while, and of course, Allen and Yuu had had little choice in staying with them lately.

And then Hunter and Bobbi had shown up, in the midst of a playful-sounding argument, and Bucky had called out to Hunter, and that had, ultimately, ended up in a game. Allen had no idea how, since neither he nor Yuu had any particular inclination toward meeting new people, not now and not here.

But here they were, running away from fearsome Hunter and Bobbi so they wouldn't get nommed on, arguing about whether to defeat them by tickling or tackling.

Allen laughed. Yuu scowled at him, but his eyes were bright as Allen grinned at him, and, at the same time, they stopped running and turned on Bobbi and Hunter, who would've had to do some fancy footwork to avoid them if they hadn't been moving with all the speed of a pair of racing snails.

On the couch, Bucky and Natasha were both keeping a careful eye on proceedings, carrying on a casual conversation of their own, mostly concerning the difficulties of sniper vs. infiltration-style assassinations.

As they watched, Allen yelped as he was snatched up by Bobbi and nommed on the ear, and he squirmed frantically, crying out. Natasha made half a move to get up before she realized that his cries still carried the mirthful note of the overdramatized, and, with a small smile, she sat back down, forcing herself to relax.

"This is going better than I might have expected," she admitted to Bucky, startling him slightly with the change of topic. He glanced over, saw Yuu get snatched up by Hunter and start cursing, and chuckled quietly.

"As the people on this base go," he observed, "you can certainly get far worse than Hunter and Morse." He glanced at her and added, with a hint of humor, "They're very resigned to it all."

Natasha smiled back, eyes alight with wry amusement. "Have they been introduced to the 'sane people' yet?" Sam, Scott, and Rhodey, who referred to themselves as such despite all arguments to the contrary. "It sounds like they'd get along well."

Bucky grinned at her. "Dunno. We'll have to see about it."

Natasha looked up sharply as the tone of Allen's voice started to change, but just as quickly, he was back on his feet and Bobbi had fallen over 'dead'. Allen stood in place for a moment, in equal parts startled and wary, but then he relaxed, smiled again, and darted over to help Yuu struggle free of Hunter, who clearly had his work cut out for him as it was, keeping Yuu in place.

"They handle them… better than most," Bucky added, slow and hesitant, and Natasha glanced over at him sharply, wondering if he was implying what she thought he was. He shrugged. "We can't always rely on Fury, Natasha."

Natasha hated to admit it, but then, she'd been thinking the same thing.

* * *

"Wait, you're serious?"

Tony's surprised voice rang out in the room, empty save for himself, Natasha, Rhodey, and Vision. Rhodey backed him up instantly.

"I thought SHIELD was gonna let us do our own thing." Rhodey's voice was mild, but edged with a hint of warning, not necessarily directed at Vision.

"I asked him about this specifically," Vision replied resolutely, "as Doctor Simmons mentioned the project to me. It was then that he asked if we would be willing to volunteer our help."

"So he's _not_ conscripting us," Rhodey clarified, relaxing slightly.

Vision shook his head. "Of course not."

"I wouldn't say 'of course'," Tony muttered. "So, what is it?"

"A raid on a HYDRA base," Natasha said, before Vision could. At their surprised looks, she shrugged carelessly. "Vision already spoke to Steve about this; he told me about it afterward. He fully supports it, by the way." Her eyes lingered on Tony, knowing that the man leant far more credence to Steve's opinion than he was willing to admit, SHRA aside.

Tony glanced back at Vision. "Just a raid? To stop them from opening a portal?"

Vision nodded earnestly. "And, should the opportunity arise, we would aid an attempt to rescue a man trapped on the other side, while keeping out the beast within. Doctor Simmons and Director Coulson both were quite clear about this."

Tony sighed and shrugged. "Fine," he sighed, throwing up his hands. "Why not. Portals, aliens, rescue. Sound like our gig."

"What he said," Rhodey agreed with a shrug. "If we can help out - may as well."

Natasha nodded as well, and Vision smiled.

"Thank you."


	39. Measures of Progress

Lavi looked up the instant the door opened, green eyes wide and as innocent as he could manage.

He, Yuu, Lenalee, and Allen were all in the playroom with Bucky, Natasha, and Melinda; Tony and Steve had just left to let the therapist in.

The idea of therapy had been broken to the four of them the week before. Allen, Lenalee, and Yuu had been instantly wary of the idea, with Yuu being outright opposed, but Lavi had seen the logic behind it almost instantly, as much as he hated to admit it, and he said as much.

That had, to his complete lack of surprise, opened the door for Sam and Scott - who spearheaded the attempt - to talk them into trying it, on a trial basis. (No matter what they said, all three of them were aware that they hadn't made it out of their last lives fully intact, and to a point, they knew it was wrong.) (It wasn't normal to have nightmares every night.) In the end, they'd agreed, the only condition being that they stuck together through the process.

Automatically, Lavi catalogued her as she entered, comparing what he saw with what he'd been told.

Miri Thompson appeared to be Latina, somewhere in her late twenties, and a little out of her depth, something she seemed acutely aware of, though she hid it well. (It was hard to hide from Lavi, though.)

She was instantly followed by Tony and Steve, though both of them lingered by the door. Allen waved at Steve, and Steve gave him a small grin back, earning himself a beam.

"Kids!" Tony called, unnecessarily attracting their attention. "This is Miri, we've told you about her already. Miri, that's Lavi, Yuu, Lenalee, and Allen." He turned to her, and Lavi could read his father well enough to see the edge of warning in his smile. "Miri- FRIDAY'll be watching you while you're in here, for security purposes, of course. I've told her not to record anything, like you asked - but all of us will be on standby. In case anything happens."

"Of course," Miri demurred. "Thank you."

Tony gave her a grin, and then looked at Lavi. "Lavi, like I said, we'll be right in the living room. We're not listening, but call and we'll come, got it?" Though his first words were to Lavi, by the time he reached the end, they were directed to all four kids, and, scattered but understanding, each of them nodded in turn.

Steve smiled again, and Natasha pressed a quick kiss to Allen's hair. "Be good," she told him firmly, and he nodded, suddenly a little more nervous, and watched her leave.

Melinda and Bucky took their time as well, Melinda talking quietly with Lenalee for a few minutes - probably checking 'protocols', if Lavi knew Melinda at all - and Bucky just staring intensely at Yuu in a way that weirded Lavi out but didn't seem to perturb Yuu at all, if the impassive way he stared back was any indication.

But finally, all of the parents left, leaving Miri alone with the kids and FRIDAY's invisible eye up above, something that was more reassuring now than it may have been, say, six months before.

Miri ran her eyes over them with clear curiosity, but before she could act one way or another, Lavi offered an easy grin, stepping forward.

"Hi!" he chirped. (Knowing this was for the best was not the same as giving his trust over blindly.)

Miri focused her attention on him, just as he'd wanted her to, and, to his slight surprise, knelt down on the ground and held out her hand, giving him the same kind, but loosely professional smile she'd given their parents. "Hello. My name is Miri Thompson; I'm going to be your therapist."

Lavi gave her a look of undisguised surprise, and, in turn, let a little of his childishness melt away as he reached out and shook her hand. "Lavi Stark," he returned, quiet and thoughtful.

"Hello, Lavi," Miri returned, and then turned to Yuu, who'd stalked forward. "And you're Yuu Barnes, yes?"

Yuu studied her for a moment, frowning. Her smile held, and finally, he nodded and reached out to shake her hand. "Yeah."

"It's good to meet you," Miri assured him, and looked at Lenalee, the next to approach.

"Lenalee May," Lenalee offered quietly, and Lavi was almost genuinely surprised at how much more grown she looked than normal.

"Good to meet you," Miri repeated, shaking Lenalee's hand as well, and finally, turned to Allen. "And you as well, Allen."

Allen was slower and more hesitant, which didn't surprise Lavi as much as it might have a year ago. "Hello," he said quietly, and finally shook her hand as well.

Miri smiled and sat back, letting her hands drop to fold on her lap. "I understand that these are unusual circumstances," she began, looking almost rueful at the words; Lenalee and Allen giggled quietly. "So we'll have to take a flexible approach to this. I promise you now that I'll do my best to work with you on your own terms."

She hesitated here, and Lavi nodded encouragingly, clasping his hands behind his back, studying her.

"When I can, I'll do my best to treat you as adults," Miri continued, giving Lavi a small smile. "If I do something you don't like, please let me know and I'll try to fix it." Another moment of hesitation, and Allen tilted his head. Yuu frowned at her, arms crossed, eyes intent. "In normal circumstances, the parents of children of your age would be kept up to date on all information concerning your progress. However, we've agreed that you will receive the same rights to privacy granted to adults; nothing we talk about here will be discussed with your parents unless I believe it is dangerous to you."

Lenalee sighed softly, and then nodded with a small smile. "Thank you."

"Of course," Miri assured her. "Now, I've been made to understand that you're more childish at some times, and less so at others - I'll try to respond appropriately. Any questions so far?"

They shook their heads. Miri smiled.

"Then shall we get started?"

The four of them exchanged looks among themselves for a moment, and then Lavi shrugged and sat cross-legged on the ground, then looked at Miri expectantly. Lenalee followed, and then Allen, and finally Yuu, who looked rather grumpy about it.

Miri smiled and matched their cross-legged position on the ground, folded her hands in her lap, and began.

"The first thing I'll do with you is explain a normal trauma response. Now, you may already know some of this, and certainly much of it will seem familiar-"

The four of them listened intently, each of them nodding along at irregular, differing intervals, and Lavi had to repress the urge to smile.

Maybe this would work.

* * *

It was late; Allen, Lenalee, Lavi, and Yuu were in the gym, Lenalee having been staying the night. Lavi and Yuu were sparring in the designated area, the ground of which was heavily padded, and Allen and Lenalee were sitting against the nearby wall, dozing.

Allen honestly didn't want to contemplate trying to find time for Lavi and Yuu to be able to do this while their parents were still awake; as it was, when FRIDAY eventually gained the self-awareness of a regular human, the way Lavi said she would, it would become difficult just to persuade her not to tell anyone.

Lavi and Yuu, Allen noted, weren't very good at the moment, and they knew it, too - he could see it in their faces, frustrated and strained. He knew, of course, logically, that they were abnormally good for their current ages, but it didn't make the difference any less jarring, every time he watched them.

Beside him, Lenalee, leaning back against the wall, yawned. A moment later, Allen, leaning curled up beside her, did as well.

"It scary, isn' it?" Lenalee asked quietly, stirring a little from her daze.

Allen started slightly and tilted his head back to look up at her, blinking sleepily. "Huh?"

"We been se' back so far," she explained softly, turning her eyes away from Lavi and Yuu's futile spar to look down at him and watch his eyes clear as he woke up a little. "We no' as good. We no' as fast, or as strong." She glanced up at the spar again. Yuu swung at Lavi, and Lavi fell down dodging it. A moment later, Yuu's own momentum brought him down as well as he overextended. "Yuu was the best ou' of almos' anyone in the Order. And now…" She trailed off.

Allen nodded, subdued. "And we wowse," he tacked on. From being one of the only people able to spar with Kanda on level ground, to this- it hurt. "'Cause we so small."

"Yeah," Lenalee agreed. "Bu' we can' let tha' stop us." She looked down again to see Allen looking up at her, silver eyes soft and dismayed, and felt her own chest tighten in return. She could understand why, and she hated that - but it wasn't right for Allen to look so hopeless.

But when Allen couldn't find it in himself to be strong, she was more than happy to pick up the task herself.

"We can' let them outpace us," she continued, letting her resolve peek into her expression. She smiled at Allen, the same way he'd so often smiled at her. "We can' be left behind. 'Cause they can' watch their own backs, can they?" She let her smile widen a little with confidence she didn't feel. "But we can, for them."

Uncertainty glimmered in Allen's eyes for a moment, but then they steeled, and Lenalee's smile turned more genuine.

"Wigh'." Allen nodded determinedly. "Can' le' it stop us."

"Whateve' we _can_ do, we _will,"_ Lenalee confirmed. "'Kay?"

"'Kay!" Allen agreed.

* * *

Maria's lips twitched.

From Miranda's shoulders, Allen smiled at her shyly, and Maria inclined her head in return, letting the fond smile bloom across her face. Allen beamed at her, and then looked back down at Miranda, who was laughing helplessly, eyes covered by Allen's wrists, his arms wrapped around her head, right hand holding his left wrist and cheek pressed to her hair.

One of Miranda's hands was up by Allen, attempting to hold him steady, but Lenalee, down on the ground, held the other captive, eyes sparkling.

"C'mon, this way!" she laughed, tugging lightly.

"Oh, no, I'm going to fall!" Miranda insisted, but she followed anyway, giggles spilling freely from her lips, a grin on her half-covered face.

The Avengers had finally somewhat loosened their death grip on their children, but the list of people allowed to watch them was still very small. Luckily, Maria herself fell fairly high on that list.

Two hours into watching Lenalee and Allen, as well as Miranda (who'd been coming over almost as often as her father would allow it), _this_ had happened, and now Miranda was being led blind around a makeshift obstacle course formed mostly of chairs and stray toys.

Miranda had changed somewhat, since she'd been reunited with her friends. It was subtle, the same as the changes in Lenalee, Allen, Yuu, and Lavi were, but undeniably positive.

She was happier, more carefree, more _confident._ She no longer would stop and stare mournfully at things Maria couldn't see, something she had done for as long as Maria could recall. She apologized less, responded better to the gratitude Maria had always made sure to give her for even simple things.

Nicholas, Miranda's father and Maria's brother, had noticed these things, too - he had actually called Maria at one point and thanked her for it, and asked her to thank Miranda's friends for it as well. Apparently she was doing better in school, and reaching out to her peers.

Maria was glad.

She was broken out of her thoughts when Miranda yelped suddenly, and she jerked her head up to see Miranda tipping over, flailing, having clipped a chair - Maria could see where it had been jerked out of place. Lenalee hopped back as if burned, wide-eyed and startled.

In a moment, Maria was up and had caught Allen, who had shrieked as he started to fall from Miranda's shoulders, and then steadied Miranda with one hand on her shoulder.

"Oh!" Miranda clapped her hands over her mouth, wide-eyed and horrified. "I'm so sorry! I'm so clumsy, oh no, I almost dropped you, Allen, oh no, I'm so sorry!"

Allen giggled, giving Miranda a bright grin. "It okay!" he assured her. "No' huwt, see?"

"But you could have been!" Miranda almost whimpered. Maria winced, sharply reminded that 'better' was not 'fixed'.

"It okay!" Lenalee agreed, reaching up to pat Miranda's side reassuringly, drawing her near-tearful attention downward. "You didn' mean it and nothing happen, so it okay."

"Lenalee's right," Maria agreed, letting Allen down so he could wobble over to Miranda and copy Lenalee's pat in a somewhat clumsier manner. "It was an accident, Miranda." She gave her niece a small, reassuring smile. "Allen's fine, Lenalee's fine, and you're fine. Nothing happened."

Miranda took a deep breath and nodded, looking at least a little comforted, but not ready to go back to play. So they settled on the different surfaces instead - Miranda and Maria in different office chairs and Maria lifting Lenalee and Allen onto a table at Lenalee's request.

"Glad Tasha didn't see that," Lenalee commented to Allen with a small smile, and Allen giggled.

Miranda looked almost like she was going to apologize again, and Maria decided to derail the conversation before she could go down that track again. "Are your parents still a little uptight, then?" she asked Allen.

His smile faded slightly and he nodded. Lenalee winced visibly, and Maria's brow furrowed.

"Yeah," he admitted softly. "Dey scawed." He shook his head. "Shouldn' be. We no' glass, you know?"

Lenalee nodded in agreement, drawing Maria's attention to her. Across from Maria, Miranda had deflated visibly, looking concerned.

"No one thinks you are," Miranda told them earnestly. "You're two of the strongest people I know; I can't imagine either of you ever being weak." She smiled. "Things might be hard right now, but I _know_ both of you will pull through. You always do."

Maria thought she meant it, too, and she almost wished she'd known them before all this happened.

"I think they forge' tha' this all already happened," Lenalee said with a small, slightly strained smile. "And we weren' exactly okay, but we didn' break then and we won' break now." She reached up and scratched at her head with a somewhat awkward smile, brown-eyed gaze sliding away as if in guilt. "I kinda wish Mommy didn' worry like she does."

Allen nodded in agreement, gaze falling to the ground. "Mommy bettew dan Daddy, an' it nice dat dey cawe…" His eyes softened pensively, almost mournfully. "Bu' dey don' need ta wowwy."

Maria disagreed, but she could definitely understand what they were saying. Miranda met her eyes, looking dismayed and a little helpless, and Maria inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement. (She was glad that Miranda wasn't quite so small.)

"They're just upset," Maria said quietly, drawing both children's attention back to her. "You both got hurt when they couldn't look after you, and they feel responsible. I know it's silly," she added when Lenalee opened her mouth, "but they do. You're still their children, even if you come from unexpected circumstances, and they feel a little out of control." She gave them a small, reassuring smile, something she'd been getting a lot of practice with recently. "They'll loosen up eventually."

Both of them nodded reluctantly, but then Allen added, almost too quiet to hear,

"I know. I jus'... I wanna go outsi' 'gain."

Lenalee nodded, subdued, and Maria winced - she knew the two of them, and Lavi and Yuu as well, hadn't spent much time outside whatever SHIELD base they called home at any given moment. It was for security reasons, of course, and made logical sense, but for children who knew exactly what they were missing - it had to be hard.

"Have you asked your parents?" Miranda asked, looking and sounding just as distressed as Maria, if not more so. "I'm sure they would understand."

Allen shook his head quickly, but Lenalee tilted her head, brown eyes turning thoughtful. Then she, too, shook her head, slowly.

"Didn' think she woul' listen," Lenalee said slowly. "'Cause it make sense, you know? It dangerous."

"But they still want you to be happy," Maria assured them. "If you don't want to bring it up with them, I will."

Allen looked down, and Lenalee looked at him, concerned. Then he looked up at Lenalee, and Lenalee looked back at Maria.

"Yes, please," she said softly.

* * *

"So that's all worked out," Tony declared, dismissing the floor plans and info sheets with a sweep of his hand. He met Coulson's focused gaze with a raised eyebrow. "But we're forgetting one tiny, itty-bitty little thing - all of the Avengers and most of your senior agents are going. Who's going to watch the kids?"

That attracted the attention of most of those present - the Avengers and Coulson's senior team - save only those who had already been thinking of it.

Earlier that day, they had finally been able to isolate the base where HYDRA was planning to open the portal to the alien planet, and of course, SHIELD was wasting no time in making plans to stop them. And the mission, scheduled three days from the current date, was clearly no-holds-barred, probably thanks to the unspeakable monster on the other side.

Coulson shrugged, expression turning placid. "Not all of my agents are coming along," he offered. Those who hadn't been selected to join the mission - Fitz, Simmons, Hunter, and Bobbi - looked up sharply, startled. "Do you have any ideas?"

Natasha swept her gaze over the four of them first, and then met Bucky's gaze. When he shrugged slightly in agreement, she said firmly, "Hunter and Morse."

Steve, beside her, started and looked at her. She inclined her head, silently promising to explain later, and almost instantly, he looked at Coulson and nodded in confirmation, crossing his arms.

"I would like to second that," Bucky added, expression and voice equally resolute.

"Hell," Tony shrugged, looking unconcerned as could be. "Who am I to question Tasha's judgement?" Never mind that he often did exactly that.

"They will do well, I think," Wanda offered quietly. Bobbi and Hunter both look almost comically startled, looking between the different Avengers as they voiced their opinions.

"Don't see why not," Rhodey shrugged, though he sent Natasha a slightly curious glance.

Finally, Melinda inclined her head. "Not my first choice, but I trust you." She said this directly to her two teammates, who looked, if anything, more surprised than before.

"And take the kids out somewhere," Steve added. He didn't fail to notice the sudden tension in Natasha or Bucky, but he forged on, sure of this. "We haven't been real good about that lately."

"Sure, why not?" Hunter shrugged, covering his surprise with exasperation, as he tended to do. "Take the superhero kids out to, I dunno, a petting zoo. We can do that, right, Bobs?"

Bobbi gave him a faintly amused look, but when she glanced back to the rest of the table, she nodded. "We'll look after them," she promised.

Coulson gave a small smile, not letting his own surprise show. "Then it's settled, isn't it? I'll let General Talbot know of our plans so he can pitch them to the government before they find out." General Talbot had been recently appointed representative of the ACTU in the government; since that was now actually SHIELD, that made him the SHIELD liaison.

His voice gained a lilt of humor toward the end, and it lightened the mood enough for a few people to smile as the meeting broke up.


	40. Just a Little Faster

Crowds had never been a source of dread for Allen the way they had been for Lenalee or Lavi or Yuu, at least not for their reasons. His eye took care of that. Still, he had never been overly fond of them, either - it was too easy to get lost, and there were too many people. This fear had faded as he grew up.

It was now back.

Still, that wasn't enough to dampen Allen's delight more than a little as he carefully (clumsily) patted the side of the lamb at the zoo's petting zoo, watching it chew the food Lavi had so enthusiastically given it. Around them, other children engaged in identical and similar activities, and a few animals chorused with 'moo's and 'baa's and chirps from inside the barn. Above, two helicopters soared across the sky.

Allen had been delighted when he realized that Maria had kept her promise and talked to their parents about letting them outside for a while; he'd been a little surprised that they hadn't insisted on being there, but then again, they never liked leaving them behind when they went on missions.

Allen was a little wary of Bobbi and Hunter, but he had to admit he was more comfortable with them than, say, Fitz or Simmons or Rosalind, or even, really, Maria or Coulson.

Still, he stuck closer to Noise and Miranda, same as Yuu did. The two now-teenagers had, by Allen's understanding, been invited along both to help keep them in line and to give them another chance to interact, which was nice of them.

Lavi had had the most fun here, of course - he'd read _everything,_ which had garnered a few odd looks, and Allen knew that all of them would be hearing random facts about animals for months. The thought made his lips twitch slightly, though his hand never faltered in its motions over the lamb's soft coat.

Yuu had been tense for the first hour or so, but after that he'd slowly relaxed, and though Allen knew he'd never admitted, each and every one of the animals had fascinated him - Allen had seen the way Yuu looked at them.

Allen and Lenalee, meanwhile, had stuck close together, peeking through bars and occasionally requesting lifts from Noise or Miranda (usually the former, being that he was a fair bit larger).

Allen had never been in a zoo before. Despite a lingering fear of large animals, he'd enjoyed it. And Lenalee had as well; her eyes had been wide as plates the whole time, and every other minute, she was grabbing Allen's hand, or Lavi's or Yuu's, to point something out to them, eyes sparkling.

So, Allen concluded, it had been a good day.

"Alright, time to go," Bobbi announced, briskly clapping her hands twice.

"Aww," Lavi pouted, rocking on his heels. "You sure?"

"Very sure," Bobbi assured him, nudging him out. "Now come on. We need to wash our hands before we go." At Lavi's genuinely put-out expression, she added, "Your parents' mission is almost finished. You want to be back by the time they are, don't you?"

Lavi brightened instantly, as did the rest of them.

"Yeah!" Lavi nodded quickly.

Allen returned to Yuu, his normal anchor when he felt uncertain and neither Natasha nor Steve were around (a fact he chose not to examine too closely), as they entered the crowd. Yuu grabbed his wrist, the left one, seemingly on automatic and tugged him roughly around the crowd, avoiding the worst of the tangles and rushes.

Hunter was waiting by the sinks with Noise and Miranda, who had left a little earlier. The grown man looked bored of his mind, ignoring the two beside him as they talked quietly with their secret little smiles. Allen gave them both a shy smile, which went unnoticed, and then glanced back at Hunter as the man perked up, noticing their approach.

"Time to go?" he asked Bobbi hopefully. Bobbi laughed at him.

"You're too impatient, I'm tempted to say no." Bobbi raised her eyebrows, and Hunter groaned dramatically.

"She-devil," he complained. "Right, let's get this over with."

Bobbi laughed again, and the four of them got their hands washed and dried in a somewhat eventful ten-minute event, finally concluding with them slipping back into the crowd.

Allen avoided looking at all the ridiculously large people around him by looking at Yuu and offering him a small grin. "Fun?" he asked, not bothering to elaborate.

Yuu grunted and jerked his head away, scowling faintly. "...Yeah." And then, glancing back at Allen with a smirk of his own, "'Course, I could see stuff by _myself."_ Mostly.

Allen scowled at him. "Too tall!" he accused petulantly. Yuu laughed at him.

"You're too short!" he countered, smirking. "Tiny beansprout!"

"Name _Allen!"_ Allen complained, voice too low to attract attention.

"Ah, c'mon, you two are fighting _now?"_ Lavi complained, but he was grinning, green eyes bright as he approached. Lenalee was a step behind him, beaming happily.

"Yuu, stop teasin' Allen," Lenalee protested, laughing. "Allen, stop baitin' Yuu."

Allen pouted at her, and Yuu rolled his eyes.

That might have been the end of it, with the eight of them leaving to return to base ahead of their parents - had a hand not closed around Yuu's arm.

"Hey!" Scowling on instinct, Yuu whirled on the hand's owner, eyes blazing. "Let go!"

That, of course, drew the attention of everyone in the immediate vicinity. Murmurs of dissent started to ripple around the crowd, and Yuu tugged furiously, trying to get his arm back.

Instead, what happened was that he was lifted off the ground by his arm, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Hey!" snapped Lenalee, taking a step forward, fists clenched and brown eyes blazing. "Let go of Yuu!"

Allen and Lavi were slower to react, started and frozen in place. Fortunately, as it turned out, they didn't need to; while Yuu was kicking and struggling, someone else was already moving to help him.

Bobbi had quickly gotten over her own surprise and snapped into action. A carefully aimed blow to the stranger's wrist forced him to release Yuu, who fell on his butt with a grunt, and in the next moment, Bobbi had the man twisted into a stranglehold.

Suddenly, the murmurs rose into a crescendo of shouts and alarmed cries, and there was a mad rush to get away from Bobbi and the man she held.

"Madwoman!" Allen heard, as well as "Not fucking okay," and then, "Violent maniac."

Lavi had darted over to Yuu, who was still wincing and scowling on the ground. Lavi hovered over him, wide-eyed, eyes darting from him to Bobbi to the man and back.

"Aren't you going to apologize?" Bobbi asked, mouth twisted into a slightly strained smirk.

The corners of the man's lips turned up into a smirk of his own.

"Hail HYDRA," he replied, and bit down.

Bobbi dropped the man as he started to convulse, and then Allen, frozen a few yards away, heard Lenalee gasp and whirled around. His eyes widened.

"Len'lee!" he called fruitlessly, stumbling forward on unsteady feet and stretching out his hand as if he could retrieve her. Lenalee reached back, brown eyes wide and frightened, a hand clamped over her mouth.

The fearful cries of the crowd were getting louder and more frantic; one man tried to reach out to save Lenalee and ended up on his back, gasping for air. Allen took a few more stumbling steps forward, eyes fixed on Lenalee, but everything was too loud and he was too clumsy and he could hardly see through his tears.

"Everyone freeze!" The loud voice, full of authority and warning, rose above the crowd, commanding attention. "I have a bomb!"

Far from making people stop, everything suddenly sped up as everyone rushed away from the speaker. Through the flickering bodies of the crowd, Allen could just make out a towering man with his jacket open and something strapped to his chest.

Allen didn't even know what a bomb was.

Everything was too loud. There were too many people, rushing and buffeting Allen around until he could barely keep his footing, and he couldn't see Lenalee anymore. Unable to stand it, he pressed his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to be anywhere but here, crying softly.

Then he was snatched up and pressed tightly to someone's chest. He cried out and struggled weakly, and the grip tightened.

"Hey, hey! Calm down! It's just me!"

Allen opened his eyes and, through his tears, was just able to make out Hunter's face, intent on the crowd around them, which was now beginning to thin as people successfully made their escape. Bomb-man, Allen noted, was nowhere to be seen.

"Dammit, what happened to 'stay together'?" Hunter complained, scanning the crowd. "Sure, scatter. Why the _fuck_ not." Apparently spotting something Allen had not, he took off running. Above, an alarm of some sort started to blare, and Allen whimpered.

But he had- he had to concentrate. Lenalee needed help, and Allen was in no position to give it, but he could get it for her. He reached up to tug tentatively at Hunter's shirt, earning himself a glance down. Satisfied that he had the man's attention, he said, as loudly and clearly as he could manage, "Dey go' Len'lee!"

"They got Lenalee?" Hunter repeated, disbelief and a hint of worry coloring his tone. Allen nodded, face plastered with tears, keeping an iron grip on Hunter's shirt. Hunter bit out another curse under his breath. "Great. Just great."

Now that he was looking, and the crowd was much thinner, Allen could see what Hunter had spotted: Miranda, running in a seemingly arbitrary direction, and standing out a mile now that there was no one around her.

"Miranda!" Hunter called out once they were within earshot. Miranda turned around without stopping, which resulted in her tripping over her own feet and tumbling gracelessly to the ground.

By the time they reached her, Miranda was scrambling to her feet again, face streaked with tears and now a little dirt and grit as well.

"Hunter!" Miranda blurted out, eyes wide and frightened. "They have Lenalee!"

"Yeah, I've heard," Hunter agreed, voice clipped and tense. Then, with a glance at Miranda's urgent expression, he frowned. "You don't know where, do you?"

Miranda pointed in the direction she'd been running. She was still panting softly from exertion, but the fear in her eyes was beginning to make way for shaky determination. "That was. Someone took her that way." Then, half pleading and half determined, "We have to save her!"

"Right." Hunter nodded firmly, and then took off in that direction. Miranda squeaked and ran to catch up. "Time to find Lenalee before May finds out I lost her."

Miranda managed a nervous giggle in that, but Allen couldn't find it in himself to do the same, too worried and too scared. He was stuck clinging to Hunter, facing the wrong way and watching the landscape they left behind. That included Miranda, who was one step behind, already panting again.

Allen focused on that, on her, trying not to think about how empty the zoo suddenly was, what could happen to Lenalee, how scared he was, how useless, how much trouble he was causing from his inability to run alone-

They ran into the matrix of primate enclosures without slowing or stopping. A moment later, Hunter's cell phone rang.

With a curse, he picked it up and shoved it at Miranda, who yelped but managed not to drop it.

Neither of them faltered as Miranda answered the phone, eyes falling to the ground as she concentrated on listening and keeping her footing at the same time. After a few seconds, she said tentatively, "U-um, I'm here, and Allen's here, b-but-" She stopped. Allen stared at her, silver eyes round and anxious. Miranda didn't notice. After another moment, she explained, "S-someone t-took her." Lenalee, Allen assumed. And her breathlessness wasn't helping her stutter. "We're getting her n-now." A beat. Miranda deflated visibly, stumbled as a direct result, and said in a tiny voice, "...No." Another, longer pause. Finally, Miranda nodded tentatively. "O-okay." And then she hung up.

"Bobbi?" Hunter asked.

"Y-yes. She said-"

"Does she have the rest?" Hunter interrupted. Miranda shrank.

"Sh-she didn't s-say. But she only asked about me and Allen and Lenalee, s-so…"

"Good," Hunter nodded. "Then she definitely has them."

Miranda took a deep breath and plowed on. "Sh-she said that… that there's a campground, by the visitor's center, with a helicopter. And that m-maybe-"

"They're taking her there?" Hunter finished. Miranda nodded. "Guess we have a destination now. Come on."

He altered their course slightly, and Allen bit his tongue against a whimper as he was jostled painfully. Hunter muttered out a quick apology and then drew his gun. Miranda gasped, eyes on something up ahead, and Allen twisted around to see. At the same time, Hunter fired - once, twice, three times. Three people, all dressed in random civilian outfits, but carrying guns Allen didn't recognize, fell.

Allen twisted back around and hid his face, muffling a sob.

He wished Steve and Natasha were there.

They slowed a little as the path grew more twisted. Still holding the gun, Hunter reached up and patted Allen awkwardly on the back.

"There, there?" he offered uncertainly.

It didn't help.

Miranda cried out and Allen's head shot back up, just in time to catch a glimpse of Miranda's frightened face and another woman beside her, a stranger.

A half-second later, Hunter whirled around, and Allen heard a thunk and then the sound of a body hitting the ground. Miranda stuttered out something like a thank-you, and then they were off again.

"We'll save her," Miranda panted out to Allen, eyes wide but resolute. "We'll save her, Allen, I swear! I swear!"

Allen nodded quickly, wanting to believe it, _needing_ to believe it. They were going to save Lenalee. They had to.

"Fuck!"

Hunter's curse caused Allen to twist around again, and his eyes widened.

The campground was now in sight, and a team of agents was boarding.

"Len'lee," Allen whispered. Then, louder, "Len'lee!"

"Fuck," Hunter repeated. Next thing Allen knew, he was being shoved into Miranda's arm, Miranda taking him with a stuttered question uttered through panted breaths, and then Hunter took off, much faster than before.

"W-wait!" Miranda cried out, running after him at a much reduced rate, noticeably struggling with Allen's weight but determined to catch up.

Allen yelped and nearly crushed Miranda's arm, he was squeezing so tightly. Her focus, though, was ahead, presumably on Hunter or the helicopter, and wide with fear and worry.

The campground wasn't that far away at this point, but they still got there more slowly than Hunter - just in time, in fact, to see Hunter blown back by the force of the helicopter's takeoff.

Allen's heart skipped a beat, and whine rose in his throat, eyes fixed on the helicopter. _Lenalee!_

"Lenalee!" Miranda screamed. A second later, Allen was on his feet, and Miranda was running forward. Hunter turned around, and if he'd been closer Allen was sure he could've seen the frustration and dismay in the man's eyes. As it was, Allen was crumpling, overwhelmed and hating himself for it, crying once more. Ahead, Miranda screamed again. "Lenalee! _Lenalee!_ No- No-" And then, unexpectedly, _"Time Record!"_

Allen's head snapped up, eyes widening, and he saw Miranda, with her hand stretched out desperately, still stumbling forward, running as fast as she could manage.

There was a moment where everything froze except Miranda, running to the middle of the field- And then blood, thick and gleaming, burst from her wrists, and formed the winged torso of the Innocence for just a split second before spinning into a disc and settling on Miranda's outstretched hand.

"Time Record!" Miranda repeated, voice loud and clear and desperate. _"Reversal!"_

The Innocence activated, spinning in place, and then an illusionary clock rushed from Miranda's wrist and shot toward the helicopter. Another moment passed, and then the helicopter was forcibly dragged back to the ground.

Hunter stared from the helicopter, to Miranda, and then to Allen, who'd clapped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide. When Allen nodded quickly, Hunter shrugged and took off yet again, heading for the helicopter's door.

Miranda collapsed to her knees, shaking and crying, and Allen finally caught up to her and threw her arms around her.

"Tank you, tank you, tank you-" he whispered, unbelievably thankful for Miranda's determination to rescue one of his very best friends, one of _their_ very best friends.

Miranda let out a single, relieved sob of her own, leaning slightly into the hug. "Oh God," she whispered. "Oh God, oh my God…"

Both of them sat there for a bit, recovering from their fright. Allen alternated between watching the helicopter anxiously and watching Miranda, who was already starting to list tiredly, strain appearing at the corners of her eyes.

It took around fifteen minutes for Hunter to emerge again, looking tired himself and with, Allen noted with concern, a few red marks that would probably develop into bruises, and some blood trickling down the side of his head. But he had Lenalee in his arms, with hers thrown around his neck, face burning with, Allen suspected, frustrated humiliation.

"Let's get out of here," Hunter announced when he was close enough.

Allen nodded and nudged Miranda. "You c'n le' go," he told her softly.

Miranda let out a shuddering breath, and her Time Record dissolved, twisting into the blood-red bracelets of the crystal-type. In front of them, the helicopter creaked to life as time restored itself, reached the height it had been at when she reversed time, and abruptly realized it no longer had a pilot, causing it to careen and crash back into the ground.

Allen waited a few seconds for Miranda to recover, and then smiled at her tentatively when she finally opened her eyes, giving her a small, reassuring nod. Miranda fairly beamed back despite her exhaustion and looked up to Hunter, then focused on Lenalee.

"Lenalee!" she gasped out, still a little frantic with worry. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"'M okay," Lenalee murmured without looking up, her discontent audible in her voice. Allen's expression fell into solemnity, understanding; she hated that she'd needed to be rescued, just as he'd hated needing to be carried.

Miranda, though, just let out a relieved sigh and pushed herself up unsteadily. "Okay. I'm ready to go." She glanced apologetically at Hunter, who shrugged, still looking caught between bemusement and business.

"Alright then."

The visitor's center was the designated meeting point for emergencies, this sort of event included; they headed there, presuming that Bobbi and the kids with her would either meet them there or call.

Unfortunately, they weren't the only ones there. Even more unfortunately, they were spotted before they could leave again.

Before he could accurately process what was going on, Miranda had taken Allen and tugged him back into an out of the way corner while Hunter distracted the two guards who had apparently been placed in there, and Lenalee had been deposited on the ground to stumble toward them.

As soon as she was within reach, Allen threw his arms around her, hugging tightly.

"Glad you'we safe," he mumbled to her.

She hugged back, and he could feel her shaking a little. "Me too," she whispered back, sounding almost as ashamed of that, her fear, as of her helplessness.

As soon as they let go of each other, Lenalee turned to Miranda and hugged her too. "Thank you."

Miranda smiled at her, shaky and exhausted and maybe a little dazed. "Of course, Lenalee. Anything," she murmured.

A grunt, undeniably Hunter's, attracted their attention back to the fight. Allen's brow furrowed in concern; Hunter had been relieved of his gun and was now fighting hand to hand with one of the agents, the other unconscious on the ground. But he didn't seem to be doing so well - something, perhaps the head injury Allen thought he had from the jet, was slowing him down.

A small sound of dismay drew his eyes back to Lenalee. Miranda seemed to be dozing, eyes closed; Allen suspected that it was a trying task just to keep from falling unconscious. Lenalee, meanwhile, was watching Hunter, worry coloring her face.

"He's not doin' so well," she murmured anxiously. Allen nodded, silver eyes soft and unhappy.

"I wanna help," he admitted quietly. "Bu' we can'."

Lenalee whirled on him so suddenly that he started, and her eyes were wild, almost desperate. "But! Allen, we said-" He tilted his head at her, and she took a deep breath to continue, more controlled but just as vehement, "We said that… That we wouldn' let this beat us. We _said."_

"But…" Allen bit his lip, struggling to stop the flow of tears before they could start again.

"But nothing!" Lenalee whispered fiercely. She reached up and grasped Allen's elbows, staring pleadingly into his eyes. "Allen, please. We need to do this. We need to be strong."

"Wha' if we can'?" Allen whispered, unable to take his gaze away from Lenalee's.

"We _can,"_ she insisted.

He stared at her for a long moment… and then took a deep breath. "Wha' d'you have in min'?"

She smiled tearfully and told him.

Ten minutes later, Hunter was growing frustrated. It was a wonder this agent, whoever the hell she was, hadn't been on the field - she was a _nightmare,_ and he just _couldn't. Bring. Her. Down._

The sharp ache of his head and the fuzziness of his vision probably wasn't helping with that.

He was just backing up into a corner, preparing himself to do something drastic to get out of it, when the agent _stumbled,_ something she hadn't done the whole time they were fighting.

"Huntew!"

Hunter nearly froze. Nearly. Instead, he looked down, and saw the tiny white-haired kid he barely knew clinging to the woman's leg with a vice grip, looking in equal parts anxious and determined, meeting his gaze.

Hunter decided to save the outraged scolding for later and pressed his unexpected advantage. Swipe, punch, sidestep, kick- It was enough for him to get the agent trapped against the shelf, Allen having lost his grip somewhere along the way.

"I can't believe this," the agent scorned, looking Hunter straight in the eye with a disdainful scowl. "That someone would lower themselves to letting _children-"_

Hunter shrugged without letting her finish. "It worked, didn't it?" he asked, not letting on that this had not at all been his idea and he was in fact more than a little alarmed by it.

Her scowl deepened and she started to say something else. She was, however, interrupted.

"Move!"

Hunter threw himself back on instinct, and something tumbled from the top of the shelf onto the agent's head, and then to the ground with a crack as it broke into many, many pieces. A moment passed, and then the agent collapsed. Hunter stared at her.

Then, slowly, he lifted his gaze to the top of the shelf, where Lenalee had placed herself and was still scowling vengefully at the agent, eyes gleaming wetly.

These children were scary, Hunter determined.

That decided, he stared around, from the child on the shelf to the agent crumpled on the floor, and then the toddler splayed on the ground and the teen in the corner, and finally, sat down heavily.

"May's going to kill me," he muttered.


	41. Unprepared

Yuu was still on the ground when the crowd began to panic, Lavi recalled. He struggled in the general direction Yuu would be in if he'd stayed still, squirming around legs and bags and other moving parts, looking for the older boy.

He found him on his feet, struggling to remain in place even as he was buffered back and forth. As soon as Lavi was in sight, Yuu demanded,

"What the fuck is a bomb?"

Lavi finally reached him and grabbed his wrist, reluctant to be separated again in the chaos. Yuu, in return, gave him a searing glare, mostly for not answering his question.

"Explosive device," Lavi explained quickly. "Kills with shock, fragmentation, burns, or impact, usually dropped from a plane, otherwise it's called something else, like a grenade or-"

Lavi rambled when he got nervous.

"Shut up!" Yuu snapped. "I know what it is now. Bomba. Qadhifa. Veti kuntu. Bomb."

Lavi did wonder where Yuu's sudden mastery of languages had come from.

"Alright," Lavi said decisively. The crowd was beginning to thin, he noticed. "Let's find…" Allen and Lenalee. "Someone."

Yuu nodded, going from irate to serious. "Yeah. C'mon."

Yuu twisted his wrist so he was holding Lavi's wrist instead of the other way around. Lavi ignored this, already looking around for a familiar head of white hair or a flash of black. But it was hard to see through a crowd when you were this short.

Yuu, as it turned out, spotted someone first. He yanked on Lavi's wrist to get his attention, making him yelp, and called, as loud as he could manage, "Noise!"

Someone, a single person standing still in the crowd, whipped around sharply.

"Yuu?" Noise called back, eyes searching the crowd. He started to push in their direction, as gently as he could while still making progress.

Yuu growled and tried to shove his way through, then yelped and jerked back to avoid a leg.

"Yuu, get out of the crowd!" Noise called, noticing the byplay. "I'll come find you!"

Yuu growled again, but when Lavi tugged his hand insistently, he gave in, and the two of them made for the nearest edge, which was a lot closer than it had been five minutes before.

It took a lot longer than it should have, but eventually, the two of them were in the clear; the lack of pressing heat and writhing bodies was more of a relief than Lavi had thought it would be.

Noise found his way out a few moments later, stumbling slightly as he broke free. His eyes quickly landed on Lavi and Yuu and flooded with relief.

"We need to go," he said as soon as he reached them. "Have you seen the others at all?"

Both of them shook their heads.

"We were looking," Lavi added, eyes wide and anxious, "but we didn't find anyone. Didja see 'em?"

"I heard Allen crying," Noise admitted, a small furrow in his brow and concern clear in his expression. "I think someone picked him up, thankfully."

Yuu scowled and crossed his arms. "Should find him," he asserted firmly. "Him and Lenalee."

Noise started to nod, but then looked up suddenly, gaze sharpening. Yuu spun around, and Lavi followed a moment later, eyes wide.

A 'thud' signalled Bobbi's triumph as she flipped the man who'd made the bomb threat, and then swiftly knocked him out. She knelt beside him and started to work on detaching the bomb from his person.

"Ms. Morse!" Noise called quickly, taking a few strides to get ahead of Lavi and Yuu. She looked up sharply, and then her eyes flooded with relief.

"Noise, Lavi, Yuu," she greeted with a firm nod, pulling the bomb vest away and folding it carefully over her arm. "Where are the others?"

"Didn't see 'em," Yuu provided instantly, scowling.

Bobbi sighed. "We'll have to hope Hunter picked them up - we have to get moving." She glanced down at the vest over her arm. "I need to handle this, and then we need to get to the rendezvous."

Lavi opened his mouth to protest, to agree with Yuu, except-

Except, in this state, what could they do? A quick glance at Yuu revealed a small, disconcerted scowl, but Yuu growled at him and shrugged, looking at the ground angrily.

"Whatcha gonna do with it?" Lavi inquired instead, craning his neck to get a better, wary look at the device. She grimaced, starting to walk quickly, and Lavi yelped and scurried after her, Yuu stomping after them and Noise taking up the rear to subtly keep watch.

"I'll have to put it somewhere," she admitted. "I'm not experienced enough with defusing bombs. Have you tipped off your father yet?"

"Huh?" Lavi tilted his head.

Bobbi stopped, causing Yuu to almost run into her, and stared at Lavi. When it became clear that he was not messing with her, she clarified, "The panic button?" He stared at her. "You know, the one you're supposed to use during emergencies, like bomb threats and HYDRA attacks."

...Right.

Lavi hit the panic button and felt a little more shame crawl into his chest.

Bobbi sighed, running her fingers briefly through her hair as she started walking again, a little faster this time. "A lot of good a panic button is if you don't use it," she noted idly.

Yeah, well, Lavi wasn't used to being able to call for help. Even now. Still. And he certainly wasn't used to _needing_ to.

"Mm-hm," Lavi agreed easily, hiding his embarrassment. Noise chuckled quietly.

"Stupid rabbit," Yuu muttered, rolling his eyes, but he looked neither bothered nor surprised - at least not by that. Instead, he kept glancing back. Lavi nudged him, nearly tripping as the slight collision unbalanced his short stride.

"They're fine," he said firmly, with confidence he didn't feel.

"Of course they are," Noise said reassuringly, one hand up by his ear - more out of habit than actual need, Lavi suspected. "Allen and Lenalee have always been stronger than they've looked."

Yuu made an affirmative noise, and Lavi nodded quickly.

"Miranda'll be okay too," he assured Noise earnestly, green eyes on Noise' brown.

"Of course," Noise repeated, with complete faith that Lavi couldn't bring himself to imitate.

They finally came to a bridge, and Bobbi sighed and shook her head, then warned the three of them, "Stay here."

With that, she vaulted over the railing and into the shallow stream, splashing water everywhere, including most of the way up her legs. She stashed the the bomb under the bridge, straightened up, and shook her head.

"That's the best I can do for now. Let's go."

She started to reach to pull herself back over, paused- And then drew her gun, pointed, and fired, just past Noise to the agent twelve feet behind him. Lavi's heart froze, and he heard another thud.

Noise spun around, startled and alarmed, but Yuu reached up and tugged urgently at his jacket.

"Gotta go!" Yuu snapped, a deep frown on his face. Noise nodded seriously, and Lavi reached out to shove lightly at Yuu's shoulder, urging him on.

Bobbi pulled herself up and over and scanned what of the path she could see.

"The visitor's center isn't far away," she said at last, brisk and businesslike. She turned around, gaze flicking across each of them, serious and a little uneasy. Then she smiled, quick and confident - falsely so, Lavi thought uncharitably, feeling undeniably shaken himself. "We can make it, no problem."

"No problem," Lavi echoed discomfitly, one hand clenching at his pants, where his hammer might have rested when it was still an equipment type.

They started walking again, a little faster than before, but still a bit of a strain on short legs, Lavi noted with frustration. He could hear Yuu close to panting beside him, but being who he was, Kanda wasn't about to admit it.

Bobbi was keeping a careful eye on everything, while Noise, appearing to focus on keeping Lavi and Yuu in line and moving, was concentrating on their surroundings, listening carefully. Twice, Lavi heard a gunshot go off, and didn't look back.

Lavi hated the sound of gunshots.

"Something isn't right," Lavi heard Bobbi murmur to himself, and he listened, but she didn't seem like she was about to expand on that at all. Still, she urged them on a little faster, and they finally emerged on the campground that led up to the visitor's center.

Bobbi froze, and then, with a gesture, indicated for them to back up. Noise repeated the instruction silently, and with a small growl, Yuu obeyed, and Lavi followed after, eying the field warily.

Bobbi pulled her phone out, and within a few seconds, was holding it up to her ear and waiting impatiently. After a few more moments, she started talking.

"Hunter, for the love of God, tell me you have Lenalee, Allen, and Miranda."

Lavi perked up instantly, Noise looked over sharply, and even Yuu couldn't hide his sudden (worried) interest. Bobbi started slightly.

"Miranda? Wait, then where's Lenalee?" Lavi felt relief and terror swamp him at the same time; it took his breath away. Yuu's impatient hand, tugging at his wrist again, pulled a little too harshly, and Lavi barely noticed - Allen and Miranda were okay, but Lenalee- "Is she in sight?" Lavi bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. Yuu's hand tightened. "Shit. Alright, Miranda, listen. There's a campground by the visitor's center - big, flat field. A helicopter's touched down there now. They'll probably take her there." Pause. "Great. Good luck."

As soon as she hung up, Lavi blurted out, "What happened to Lenalee?"

Bobbi opened her mouth to explain, and then shut it quickly and gestured for them to be silent. Beside Lavi, Yuu swelled with anger and indignation, and then froze.

A moment later, suddenly, there were a lot more HYDRA agents than Lavi had thought could hide in a forest edge. And as unprepared for that as Lavi was, he was even less prepared for the fresh wave of terror that closed his throat and made him tremble.

Kanda released his wrist abruptly, sliding into a clumsy parody of a ready stance, and his eyes were narrowed and angry, not wide - but Lavi could see his hands shaking anyway.

"Got him. ETA ten minutes."

Lavi wasn't sure which of the agents the words came from. In the end, it didn't matter. He glanced at Bobbi, only to find her and Noise both moving, placing Yuu and Lavi between them.

 _Dad, come on,_ Lavi thought desperately.

"You don't have him," Bobbi informed them tartly, knuckles white from her grip on her gun. "Not yet, and not if I have any say."

Noise nodded silently, and Yuu took a step back, wary and worried. One of the agents smiled.

"He was always ours. Ubiytsa!" Yuu looked up sharply, apparently despite himself, and Lavi glanced at him anxiously. Bobbi frowned. The agent continued, "Gordynya."

Yuu went very, very still, and Lavi had no idea why; he just knew that the other boy suddenly looked almost puzzled, as if he had remembered something.

"Rost. Lyul'ka. Polnoch."

Yuu slid out of his ready stance, but didn't move otherwise. He reached up to pull absently at his hair, looking more confused by the moment.

"Okay, that's enough," Bobbi declared, looking as thoroughly unnerved as Lavi felt, and then she was moving, and the gun was going off again.

Three agents moved to intercept her, and Noise moved, a second too late, to help, with the grace and strength Lavi remembered him possessing. Two more moved to interfere with Noise, but the one speaking directly to Yuu never moved.

"Vosem. Aspiratsiya."

Noise was facing off against two agents, and Bobbi against another three, and both of them, Lavi thought worriedly, seemed completely held up, which left… Three. Three that Lavi could see, anyway. And Yuu didn't seem like he was going to move any time soon.

Were the agent's words doing something to him? Lavi's shoulders set.

"Shest. Kochevoy. Tri."

Yuu suddenly looked like he had a headache, his hands coming up to cover his ears and face contorting into a small half-snarl, and that was enough for Lavi.

"Zamerzat."

Yuu crumpled. A moment later, a rock sailed through the air and hit the agent on the head, and he stumbled back, while Lavi darted to Yuu, eyes wide.

"Yuu!" he yelped, and Yuu stirred. Lavi tried to grin. "Yuu, now's not the time for a nap!"

Yuu glanced up at him, and for a split second, there was no recognition in those eyes. Lavi kept his smile in place and held out his hand.

"Yuu!" he repeated. Yuu's eyes were clouded - worryingly so. Then, slowly, they started to clear.

"Lavi," he muttered, and pushed himself up.

Lavi grinned, and then yelped again as he felt himself picked up and thrown over a shoulder, looked up - and there was a gun pressed to Bobbi's head, and Noise was being held firmly in place, hands behind his back.

"Sequence doesn't work as well as they expected," the agent holding Lavi muttered. Lavi struggled. "Stop moving or I'll knock you out." Lavi stopped moving, only because he was no good to anyone knocked out, and he was still _really worried_ about- Everyone. "Good boy."

One of the agents, a woman this time, pulled Yuu up by the wrist, ignoring his (dazed) snarl, and then he, too, was tossed over a shoulder. He glanced over and met Lavi's eyes, mouth a disapproving line, looking as disconcerted as Lavi felt.

And then they looked back at Bobbi and Noise, and 'disconcerted' turned to 'frightened' all over again.

Lavi wasn't used to needing help, but God, they really, really needed it.


	42. Fear Response

Repulsor to the guy on the left. Gold-titanium forearm to the one on the right. Auto-target controls to FRIDAY, repulsor to the one trying to sneak up behind him, controls to manual, repulsor in front.

 _"Anyone got eyes on the portal?"_ Steve grunted over the comms, hints of tiredness starting to color his voice.

They'd been at this for a good portion of the day already, and they weren't anywhere near done. The bright side of things was that they were well into the HYDRA base, which was currently in a massive panic trying to hold them off long enough to release the weird devil monster they were trying to retrieve from the other side.

Fortunately for them, they would succeed, since part of the mission involved letting them open that portal.

 _"I'm in position,"_ Natasha reported, voice low. _"It's not open yet, but it looks like they're moving into the final stages."_

_"Understood. Vision, Falcon, Johnson - are you getting there?"_

_"I am also in position,"_ Vision replied tersely. _"Am I to maintain secrecy?"_

Tony was distracted by the rattling of bullets against his armor, so he missed Steve's reply while he took down, finally, the last of the agents, and then took off down the hall, blasting by a few feet over the floor.

 _"Getting there,"_ Daisy put in as Tony tuned back in. _"Gimme- Urgh! About ten more minutes."_

 _"I'm in, too,"_ Sam added. He sounded a little out-of-breath, but wasn't bothering to stay quiet, so Tony assumed he was confident that he was the only one in range of his own voice. _"Got eyes on Vision and Widow. Looks like the portal's starting to open."_

Sam did like the high ground.

_"Bucky, Stark, Rhodes, Maximoff, Hill - how's the clearing-out going?"_

_"Working my way around,"_ Bucky said tersely. _"None of them are getting out of here anytime soon."_

 _"I have not had any trouble,"_ Wanda offered. _"Except perhaps in locating them. They seem to be avoiding me."_

 _"Yeah, that would be a good idea for them,"_ Rhodey snorted, low and only half-focused on the chatter. _"If they want to keep all their bones intact. Same here. I'm keeping an eye out."_

"Rhodey, you've got a group one hall down and three left," Tony offered, keeping one eye on the map FRIDAY was displaying for him. "Wanda, three back and two right. Yes, thank you, I know I'm amazing, hold your applause."

Sighs. Tony felt unbelievably smug.

 _"Agent Hill?"_ Steve prompted, and Tony could almost hear the roll of his eyes in the lingering exasperation.

"Oh, she's right in the middle right now, she doesn't need help finding them," Tony smirked, skidding to a halt along the ground as he found his own next group. (Whose idea was it to clear the building, anyway?) "Isn't that right, Maria?"

A brief moment of silence, and then a sigh, terse, almost irate. _"Going well so far."_ Short and clipped. Fair enough - being in charge of the SHIELD portion of the mission was probably taking most of her attention.

"What she said," Tony agreed easily. "Don't worry about us, Cap. Worry about the portal that's probably going to finish opening within the next thirty seconds."

Steve's next words were sharp, what little was left of his casual demeanor falling away as he turned more serious. _"Agent Johnson? Are you in position?"_

 _"Just about."_ Daisy sounded more serious now, too. _"And- oh, shit, it_ is _almost open."_

"I cannot believe you doubted me," Tony declared, feigning woundedness. "Cannot."

 _"Shall we make ourselves known?"_ Vision asked.

 _"Can you make it through?"_ Steve returned.

 _"Easy-peasey,"_ Sam answered with confidence.

 _"Go,"_ Steve ordered. _"We'll finish up things over here. Vision, Johnson, you're in charge of keeping the unknown in check. Falcon, find Daniels and bring him out."_

 _"Got it,"_ Sam acknowledged, echoed by the other two.

Tony meant to say something - perfect opening, and all that, 'once more into the brink' or something - but FRIDAY interfered, with more emotion than Tony had heard out of her so far.

_"Boss!"_

_Fear?_

Silently, Tony indicated for his comm to stop sending chatter out, and asked, giving his AI his full attention, "What's up?"

Instead of answering, FRIDAY started to stream an audio feed straight to him, and Tony's attention was instantly caught.

_"-yone freeze! I have a bomb!"_

The chaos of a crowd in panic started to filter through, and Tony's heart felt like he'd gotten a shrapnel bomb to the chest all over again.

"FRIDAY, is that _Lavi's_ feed?"

 _"Yes, boss,"_ FRIDAY confirmed, audibly anxious. _"Anomalies started around two minutes ago-"_

"Fuck," Tony swore, flipping his output back on. "Cap, we've got a problem."

Steve sounded startled, and rightly so, considering how well the mission _had_ been going. _"Stark? What's wrong?"_

"It's the kids," Tony started, tracing a route back to the exit on the map in front of him. "Don't know if they're the target or not-"

 _"Earlier clues indicate that an unknown factor attempted to capture Yuu,"_ FRIDAY interrupted.

"Fuck," Tony repeated. "Someone tried to take Yuu."

 _"What the fuck is a bomb?"_ warred with Bucky's growled demand for info. What a happy fucking coincidence.

"Yuu's fine," Tony answered, starting back toward the nearest exit as Lavi answered Yuu's question. "He's with Lavi. No info on the others yet."

_"Shut up! I know what it is now-"_

"Cap, we're going to need to send some of us over there," Tony said, listening to the two boys talk and wondering why the _hell_ Lavi hadn't hit the panic button yet (even if he didn't actually need it).

 _"Agent May says she's going,"_ Maria reported, instantly and unexpectedly, though Tony supposed he really shouldn't have been surprised.

"That's two of us," Tony replied. "Anyone else?"

There was a short, awkward pause - as much as Tony knew Steve would want to come, as the official mission leader and the only common denominator among the Avengers, Steve was needed here.

 _"I will,"_ Natasha said, ending the moment, and Tony could have shivered from the sheer, freezing anger in her voice. _"ETA seven minutes to exit."_

Which probably meant she'd be out in six, so Tony had better be there to get her.

 _"Go."_ Steve, relief nearly dripping off his voice. _"We'll take care of things here."_

 _"We need to go."_ That was Noise, over the feed, which still had most of Tony's attention even as he blasted around corners toward the exit. _"Have you seen the others at all?"_

_"We were looking, but we didn't find anyone-"_

"Barnes?" Tony asked lightly, slightly surprised that Bucky hadn't offered/demanded to go already, especially given Yuu's near-kidnapping. There was a surprisingly long moment of silence, and then-

 _"I'd only aggravate the situation."_ Short and terse and goddamn _miserable._

...Fair, though. Bucky's reputation preceeded him. It wasn't always a good thing.

"We'll take care of Yuu," Tony promised, and headed out.

On the way, Tony kept up a litany of silent curses - why had they thought this was a good idea? They should be with the kids right now. They hadn't really _all_ needed to go on this mission, some of them should've stayed behind-

On a surface level, he said, "Rhodey, FRIDAY'll relay the same info to you as she normally would to me. You cool with that?"

 _"'Course."_ Rhodey was perfectly serious now, easily as worried as Tony but less inclined to show it. _"Get them back safe, Tones."_

 _If it's the last goddamn thing I do,_ Tony promised silently.

Outside, Natasha and Melinda had apparently met up, both of them rigid with tension and ready to kill. Tony would be terrified, if they were on opposite sides.

"You can't carry both of us," Natasha said, voice clipped. "We'll take the Quinjet. Go on ahead, Stark, and for _God's_ sake, don't be late."

'Late', meaning after the kids got hurt, after things got bad, after-

"Am I ever?"

A _look_ from both of them that he fully deserved, and Tony grimaced, mind running over ever single time he'd been _too late_ (too many), and without another word, he took off, just as the shrill ring of the alarm Lavi's panic button set off rang through his helmet.

_Bit late, little buddy._

"FRIDAY, cut the alarm," he said tersely - he needed to hear what was going on around Lavi. "And while you're at it, cut communications with every Avenger except Natasha, and open a link to May's comm set."

_"Got it, boss."_

As soon as communications were open, Tony relayed quickly, "Lavi, Yuu, and Noise are all with Morse, doesn't sound like they've run into any trouble yet. We'll need to call in a bomb team as part of cleanup, but that's not the worst part."

 _"Hit us,"_ Natasha said grimly; Tony made out the sound of the Quinjet taking off.

"Sounds like it's a HYDRA attack," Tony explained, and then, impatiently, "FRIDAY, full power to thrusters."

FRIDAY obeyed without verbal acknowledgement, and he gritted his teeth against the G-forces while Natasha cursed quietly. Melinda remained, he noted, rigidly silent.

"No word on Allen or Lenalee," Tony added, almost apologetically, silently and guiltily glad that he knew that Lavi, at least, was unharmed. For now.

Deep breath from Natasha. _"Understood. Keep reporting, Stark."_

Tony didn't bother acknowledging that, and instead muttered under his breath, "Can't this thing go any faster?"

In reply, he felt the suit adjust slightly without his prompting. A few quick calculations, and he realized that FRIDAY - it had to have been FRIDAY - had made him that little bit more aerodynamic. He owed FRIDAY an upgrade. Or something.

But for now, Lavi.

He nearly perked up as he heard Lenalee and Allen's names mentioned, and listened to the following one-sided phone call, growing at once more relieved and more worried. As soon as it was done, he told the other two,

"Allen's safe, he's with Hunter. Miranda's there too, but it sounds like Lenalee's in trouble."

That earned a sharp inhalation from Melinda, the first outright fearful response he'd heard from her. _"Clarification?"_

"Sorry, no can do." And Tony really was sorry. "Sounds like she might've been taken - Hunter's in pursuit."

 _"What could HYDRA want from Lenalee?"_ Natasha asked, momentarily distracted. Tony had to agree - out of all the kids there, including Captain America's son, the 'weapon' HYDRA had so sought, and his own kid, why Lenalee?

 _"Her father is the leader of HYDRA,"_ Melinda explained shortly, and… yeah, that would do it.

Tony kept his thoughts on how _messed up_ that was, and the questions that resulted, to himself for now, his focus on tracking his progress toward the zoo. Almost halfway there. Almost.

Then another flurry of activity caught his attention all over again, and he was cursing in his head, cursing everything that had led up to this point, every bad choice and stroke of crappy luck-

"They're surrounded and being taken somewhere." Voice heavy and barely hiding his panic.

He was going to have to design this stupid suit to go a _whole damn lot faster._

"Agent tried to do something to Yuu-" Though what he'd meant to do with that string of random words, Tony couldn't even imagine. "-but it sounds like it didn't work."

 _"You're certain?"_ Something about the edge in Natasha's voice- It could have just been the situation, of course, because God knew Tony was at least as tense, but it sounded like she knew what was going on.

He'd ask her later.

"Completely."

He was more than halfway there now, the Quinjet not a massive ways behind, but he really fucking needed this thing to go faster, _faster,_ he couldn't be too late, not for this, not for Lavi.

The three of them fell into an uneasy silence, and Tony devoted all of his attention the continuing audio feed, occasionally relaying relevant info.

 _"Fucking hell!"_ Had to be one of the agents, he didn't recognize the voice.

 _"Looks like the other team had a bit more trouble than they expected, eh?"_ Another, much closer, too close. Holding Lavi, maybe, whose breath Tony could hear, loud and a little fast with terror.

_I'm coming. Dammit, I'm coming._

_"A bit more trouble? The goddamn helicopter's down!"_ ...That was good. Meant they'd have harder time getting away. That gave them more time to _finally fucking get there._

 _"Looks like most of them are down, too. They're not going to be happy about this."_ So Hunter and Bobbi weren't completely useless after all. (That was harsh. They'd kept the kids safe. Hopefully.)

_"Who cares? Bet if we get the girl we get twice the reward."_

_"Not a bad idea, but we'd have to find her."_ A pause and a thump. Tony frowned slightly. _"Ow! Stupid brat!"_

 _"Let me fucking go!"_ That was Yuu, apparently finally recovering himself. And then instantly making trouble, but at least he sounded unhurt. Not that that meant much with Yuu, but Tony hadn't hurt anything, so he _had_ to be fine, right? Right?

Damn it, Tony was never going to let the kids off-base again.

 _"That didn't take long to wear off, did it?"_ Talking about the sequence, Tony judged - he'd have to play it back later, figure out what it was. His Russian was too rusty to interpret it.

 _"Yuu, stay still! You'll get yourself hurt!"_ Bobbi. She sounded tense, but also intact - probably under direct threat, if she hadn't acted yet, or perhaps there were more of them there than Tony realized.

_"Listen to her, kid."_

_"What do you want with Yuu?"_ That was Noise, surprisingly calm considering the situation, but definitely terse. Tony at once regretted and was glad he had suggested he go along, but wondered, abruptly, if shy, uncertain Miranda was doing as well.

_"You really think I'm gonna answer that, kid?"_

_"Shut up - look."_ Low, but satisfied. Spotted something, Tony judged - which was either or a very good or very bad thing.

 _"Guess we found the girl."_ Very bad. Very, very bad. Tony shut his eyes briefly, took a deep breath, and started to adjust his plans. He wasn't the praying type, but he sent one up anyway.

 _"Sorry looking bunch, you notice that? We could snatch the freak kid too, easy."_ And if they were thinking about taking Allen, probably they'd take Lavi too - would they leave the rest behind? Or…

It didn't matter. It didn't matter, because Tony was going to get there before it came to that.

_"I'd say you're biting off more than you can chew, but…"_

_"On the count of three- one, two, three!"_ On 'three', there was a brief commotion, which Tony took to mean they'd entered a building rather suddenly. Then there was suddenly a whole lot of cursing and the sounds of a scuffle, and his heart nearly stopped all over again as he heard Lavi let out a grunt, accompanying a thud.

 _"Yuu, take Lavi and get to Hunter!"_ ...Bobbi. Had Bobbi taken action? Were Lavi and Yuu on their own feet now? Could they run?

Tony shook his head sharply. _Don't ask stupid questions. Focus._

 _"Bobbi! What the fu- shit!"_ Hunter, sounding alarmed and, from the pain in his voice, injured. Tony owed them - really fucking owed them, if all the kids got out of this.

_"Goddamn, that lady's fucking dangerous!"_

_"More than you know. You want any of them, you go through me."_ Bobbi sounded cold and protective, and Tony might've felt a little better if his panic had been at all inclined to let up. But really, he needed Lavi in his sight. _Now._

_"I'll take that as challenge."_

_"Bobbi! Lavi! Yuu!"_ Sounded like Lenalee, audibly relieved and a little tearful. So she was okay. Good. Or it might've been if it hadn't instantly been followed by a squeak as the sounds of fighting rang in the background - away from Lavi, thank God, it was too quiet for anything else.

 _"What's wrong with Allen?"_ Lavi sounded worried, and Tony might've, too, if it hadn't instantly been followed by another thud, and the soft, distinctive sounds of Allen's frightened, quiet crying. _"Whoa, it's good to see you to, spr-"_

A gunshot and a pained cry. Tony cursed under his breath.

 _"Fuck!"_ Yuu.

 _"Bobbi!"_ Lenalee.

 _"Bobbi!"_ Lavi. Was she down? It definitely hadn't missed. Tony's heart raced, and he glanced at his progress - he was almost there. Almost.

 _"Goddamn it! No, Lavi, get the fuck out of here-"_ Hunter, and _what the fuck was Lavi doing, don't be stupid, Lavi-!_

He could hear Lavi's panting breaths and willed himself faster, and his throat closed up as Lavi let out a pained cry from God-knew-what, trailing off quickly into a bitten-off whimper and more panting.

 _"Lavi!"_ That was Allen, desperate and frightened.

And then something that froze Tony's blood worse than ever - a scream, a child's scream, high and terrified and _furious,_ which meant it could only be-

 _"YUU!"_ Lenalee, who apparently had her attention on Yuu more than Lavi.

 _"Noel Organon!"_ Noise, as determined as he was desperate, and Tony had absolutely no idea what it meant, only that Lavi gasped sharply, not in fear but in something like surprise and relief.

The sounds of fighting filled Tony's ears again, and he glanced at the ground, pleading-

_Oh, thank fucking God._

Tony fine-tuned his destination, rocketed on, and then, finally, _finally,_ slammed into the ground so hard he made cracks and blasted half the agents on the ground in the same overpowered repulsor shot. In a moment, he took in the scene inside the building.

Lavi was at the base of a shelf; he didn't look hurt, but he wasn't standing up, either, eyes wide and frightened. Yuu was standing in front of Allen and Lenalee, shaking with a mixture of rage and fear, and Allen was crying quietly, as withdrawn as he could conceivably manage, while Lenalee held onto him with one hand, eyes dropped to the ground and, surprisingly, in the same state as Yuu, fist clenched tight.

Bobbi was on the ground, panting with pain, and Miranda was over her, also shaking, but Tony thought it looked more like she was exhausted than terrified or furious - she looked almost sick, and there was a glowing green disk over her wrist - Tony would figure out what the fuck was up with that later.

Meanwhile, Noise and Hunter were on their feet, Hunter bleeding from his head and visibly unsteady, while Noise's eyes were narrowed, and he wielded something like razor thread, yanking agents into each other and the walls with visible effort but also the grace of long practice.

If this had to happen - Tony guessed that there were worse people they could have left the kids with.

Now, to business. Playtime was over.

Tony spared himself thirty seconds to take down the agents outside, wanting absolutely no interference, and then slammed through the door, only just refraining from ripping it off its hinges, because that was downright unnecessary, no matter his current state of mind.

In that short amount of time, nothing had changed except some shifting around of people. Yuu had moved so that Lavi was encased in the small group, and Allen and Lenalee were standing over his son while Lavi pushed himself up, wincing - he was hurt.

Lavi was hurt.

_"Stark, ETA thirty seconds."_

"Good," Tony said, and then he moved.

There were only a few agents in here, nothing like there had been outside, but there was less room to work with and more people to worry about. He took out the one facing Noise first, and then one by the door, they'd need the exit-

Another cry, this one clearly Lenalee's, and a matching one from Allen. Tony spun around.

An agent was crouched over the now-scattered group of kids. Yuu was on the ground, glaring and flushed with fear, and Lavi, while up, was backed against a shelf, frozen.

The agent had a firm grip on Lenalee, who was glaring at him, tears in her eyes and no small amount of anger right with it. Another, beside them, was standing, and Allen was kicking and thrashing in his grip, looking almost hysterical.

Outwardly, Tony froze. Internally, he took it in, formed a plan, and then waited one second, two, three, ignoring anything the agents said-

The doors slammed open, and there was Natasha and Melinda.

All three of them took advantage of the resulting surprise. They were good at that.

Allen was dropped; Natasha caught him and took the agent who'd held him down with great prejudice, while Yuu and Lavi scrambled away, Bobbi managed to stand up, leaving panting Miranda behind, and Melinda drew her gun and shot, and the agent holding Lenalee released her, letting her pull away and flee to press against the wall, shaking and teary, fists clenching and unclenching.

Tony deemed the kids safe and turned his attention on the agents as well, and within ten minutes, they were all out cold and SHIELD's cleanup problem, because they had other things to worry about.

Tony disengaged the armor and stepped out, looked around quickly for Lavi, and, in two long strides, was across the room and dropped in front of Lavi, holding his shoulders maybe a little too tight, while the boy stared at him, eyes round and expression shaken.

Tony looked him up and down, decided he was okay, and hugged him as tight as he dared.

"You gave me a goddamn heart attack, kid," he muttered, feeling Lavi hug him back fullheartedly.

"Sorry," Lavi mumbled, and Tony exhaled in a half-laugh, hearing Natasha murmur reassurances and soothing words to Allen and Melinda checking Lenalee over in every possible way and Noise comforting Yuu even as the younger boy refused to admit he needed it.

"You're not in trouble," Tony said, "but this is _not happening again."_

Lavi's grip tightened, and Tony heard his breath hitch. "...Yeah."

Tony blew out a breath, and said at last, quiet, "Thank God you're okay."

He wasn't too late.


	43. Recovery and Restoration

Lenalee was dozing against Miranda. She couldn’t help it; against all logic, she was exhausted. No matter what her mind pitted it against, her body was insisting that it had been a very long day, and so she leaned against her old friend and let herself fall into a half-sleep.

On Miranda’s other side, Allen was doing the same thing, and Miranda, bless her, was just as tired as either of them, thanks to her trick with her Innocence.

Hunter, on the other hand, was completely unaffected; he was up and about, pacing restlessly between the shelves. The HYDRA agent was in stuffed unceremoniously under the front desk, bound and tied to one of the legs.

Lenalee felt like she should be more worried than she was, and probably would be, when she was more awake.

 _Get here soon,_ she thought distantly, vague images of Lavi, Kanda, and Noise dancing through her mind. But she wasn’t worried, really. They were strong. They always had been.

Even if it hadn’t always helped much.

...Maybe Lenalee was more worried than she was willing to admit.

_Slam._

Lenalee jerked awake, eyes going wide, and-

Bobbi flipped an agent with a grunt, and then turned and disappeared briefly from sight again. Lenalee heard Miranda inhale sharply, also jolting awake, and Allen yelped and edged forward, glancing over to meet Lenalee’s eyes with his own worried silver.

Lenalee started to stand, and Hunter whirled around, eyes just as wide as theirs. Another couple of grunts came in through the door, and then Bobbi said sharply,

“Yuu, take Lavi and get to Hunter!”

Relief crashed through Lenalee going one way and terror another, and she took a hesitant half step forward before Allen grabbed her wrist and tugged her back insistently, stopping her short.

“Bobbi, what the fu- shit!” Hunter jerked back as Bobbi was nearly thrown through the door and slammed hard into the floor, and in the next moment, a number of agents came in through the door - too many. Way too many. And Hunter had never found his gun.

Lenalee heard Allen’s breath hitch beside her, his hand tightening slightly over hers, and Lenalee squeezed back, her fear turning into frustration.

She was useless. So useless.

Again.

As she watched, paralyzed with helplessness and indecision, Bobbi flipped up, striking out at an agent, and the agent, not expecting it, was flung into another.

“Goddamn, that lady’s fucking dangerous!” one man swore, gun drawn, wary eyes on Bobbi.

“More than you know,” Bobbi said coldly, standing between the agents and - Lenalee supposed that the three of them weren’t exactly unobtrusive, if Bobbi had spotted them already. “You want any of them, you go through me.”

“I’ll take that as a challenge.” The man’s lips turned up in a smirk, and then Lenalee was distracted as she finally spotted Yuu and Lavi, the former dragging the latter in through the door, carefully avoiding the fray.

And it _was_ a fray - because now they were fighting, Bobbi and Hunter, who’d snapped out of his shock and alarm, struggling to keep the agents away from the kids who were so neatly huddled in a corner.

Allen was squeezing Lenalee’s hand again, and Lenalee could feel him shaking.

“Bobbi!” Lenalee called out, relieved. “Lavi! Yuu!”

Yuu jerked around and apparently found them, because he started dragging Lavi toward them. Noise finally popped through the door and hesitated for a moment, questioning, worried eyes on them, and Lenalee took a moment to remember how _bad_ Miranda looked before she glanced back in time to see Miranda nod slightly, looking pale but certain, and Noise turned and, visibly bracing himself, committed to helping Bobbi and Hunter.

“What’s wrong with Allen?” Lavi asked, almost as soon as he was within earshot. Yuu let go of Lavi’s wrist and went to squint suspiciously at Miranda, but Lenalee wasn’t paying attention to that, because in the next moment, Allen let go of Lenalee’s hand and flung himself at Lavi, right arm reaching up to cling to him, crying very quietly - apparently Allen had been more worried than Lenalee had. More scared. Lavi looked startled, but hugged Allen easily enough. “Whoa, it’s good to see you too, spr-”

The crack of a gunshot and a pained cry silenced him and Allen both. Lenalee’s head jerked up, and her eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat.

Bobbi was stumbling back, hand clapped over her shoulder, eyes wide. Blood leaked between her fingers.

“Fuck!” Yuu yelped, standing up abruptly.

“Bobbi!” Lenalee cried, and took another step forward, as if to help, and was again stopped, this time by Yuu, whose grip was too tight. Frustrated tears pricked at her eyes, but she didn’t resist.

“Bobbi!” Lavi called out, an echo of Lenalee’s, and then he was running. Lenalee almost called out after him, but her throat had closed up, and she couldn’t make herself speak, she just reached.

Hunter had whirled around at Bobbi’s cry, and Noise was temporarily frozen, though it lasted only as long as it took for a HYDRA agent to try to attack him again, and then he was back in action. Hunter was backing away, and he happened to glance away. To Lavi, who was running as if he could help.

Stupid Lavi.

“Goddamn it!” Hunter swore, taking a step back as if to stop him, only to duck a blow instead and ram himself into the agent that had swung at him. “No, Lavi, get the fuck out of here-”

Yuu swore quietly beside Lenalee, let go of her arm, and then he was running after Lavi.

Lavi reached Bobbi, who’d fallen to her knees, and grabbed at her arm as if he could pull her away, but then, before even Lenalee could realize, there was an agent, and Lavi barely had time to meet Bobbi’s half-dazed eyes before he was tossed away, and Bobbi was shoved back, her head hitting the floor.

Lenalee’s eyes were on Lavi, who had hit the floor hard with a pained cry and… wasn’t moving.

“Lavi!” Allen’s voice was near to breaking, terrified and desperate.

Yuu ran past Bobbi to Lavi. Lenalee trusted him to take care of the other boy, God knew he had experience with it, and let her worry transfer to Bobbi, who _also_ wasn’t moving.

Lenalee whirled on Miranda, who was frozen and silent, looking in equal parts anxious and scared and worried, and met her eyes. Miranda took one heavy breath, and then two, and then she pushed herself up and fairly stumbled to Bobbi, then dropped to her knees beside her. She placed her hands, one over the other, on Bobbi’s stomach, and whispered, voice breathless and thin,

“Time Record. _Time Out.”_

The blood-red bangles around her wrists unwove into her glowing Time Record, which began to spin. A small circle formed around them, and though she couldn’t tell from here, Lenalee knew that Bobbi had stopped bleeding.

She wasn’t okay, but she wouldn’t get any worse.

Yuu screamed.

Lenalee’s relief froze once again into fear, and her attention jerked back to Yuu and Lavi, and a soft whimper escaped her throat as she took in Yuu, kicking and struggling furiously in an agent’s grasp, Lavi rolling over to stare up with wide eyes.

Yuu looked terrified, Lenalee registered, and Allen was crying again, quietly, and her frustration returned tenfold.

She should be helping. She wanted to help. But she couldn’t. Because… because…

And then it stopped mattering as she realized that Yuu was being carried to the door, and his cursing was taking on a desperate, scared quality, and she made a false start forward, reaching again, knowing that not only would she be too late, but that she would have been unable to help regardless-

Noise turned around, noticed the same thing, and threw out both his hands, seemingly on instinct.

_“Noel Organon!”_

His voice was strong and cut through the chaos, and Yuu turned his head to look at him, just in time for the thick blood of a crystal-type Innocence to burst out of his forearms, twisting into the tight formation of Noise’s set of wire-thin weapons, shooting toward Yuu and the agent who held him, past others who cursed and ducked needlessly. Noise hadn’t missed when he was blind, and he wouldn’t miss now.

The Innocence solidified into its final form just in time to wrap around the arms of the agent, and with a sharp jerk of his hands and a narrow-eyed glare, the agent was forced to let go of Yuu, who cast one last wide-eyed look to Noise before he returned to the theoretical safety of the corner.

Lenalee let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding, and Yuu met her eyes just long enough to take in her look of relief, and then looked away again, scowling bitterly.

Then he planted himself firmly in front of them, shaking slightly with frustration and fear in equal measure, and Lenalee backed up enough to grab Allen, both wanting to reassure him and be reassured by him.

Allen was taking this so _badly._

Lenalee’s grip on Allen tightened slightly, albeit unintentionally, and she dropped her gaze to the ground, feeling tears - angry tears, but tears nonetheless - welling in her eyes.

She couldn’t do anything. She _wanted_ to do something, she _needed_ to do something- She _couldn’t stand_ being this _helpless._

The fight went on, too long and too loud, and there was a crash outside, which she ignored, as well as the yelling that followed.

“C’mon.”

Yuu’s voice was terse and his grip rough, and he tugged her toward Lavi.

“Don’t feel right leaving him over there,” he said to her questioning glance, and Lenalee took a deep breath, nodded, and, without loosening her grip on Allen, followed Yuu toward their friend, who now had fewer conscious agents in his general vicinity and also was stirring, finally.

They reached him, and Lavi managed a weak smile, starting to push himself up.

The door crashed open, and they whirled around again. Lenalee gasped softly, and she wasn’t the only one.

Tony. Tony had gotten there. And in that armor, he looked really, really angry.

He was only in the doorway for a moment before he started moving, and Lenalee half-flinched away before she could stop herself, but there was no doubt, none at all, that the situation wasn’t nearly as dire as it had been moments before, and she let herself relax.

Then Yuu grunted, and Lavi gasped, and hands gripped her under her arms and lifted her up, and she shrieked.

Allen let out a cry of his own beside her, and she jerked her head to look, only to find Allen kicking and thrashing desperately. Allen glanced up at her, and she saw her own shock and fear mirrored back at her.

Lenalee’s heart clenched, and she wanted to cry, and scream, and she wanted to kill them, she was so angry.

There was a moment of stalemate, the unconscious agents on the ground a hollow victory, and Lenalee wondered if this was it, if they had lost - lost because she hadn’t been paying attention.

The door slammed open for the third time, and she looked up, and her heart, this time, leapt.

_Mom!_

Melinda and Natasha were in the doorway, and Lenalee shut her eyes, breath hitching before she forced the reflex down.

They were going to be okay.

* * *

Miranda had passed out the moment she released her Innocence, and Yuu guessed he couldn’t blame her. As hard as maintaining activation had been at twenty-six, it had to be immeasurably harder at thirteen.

They were in a hospital waiting room, now, and people were _staring._ It grated on Yuu’s nerves, and he felt off-balance enough as it was.

Noise had his arm slung around Miranda and was holding her close, eyes periodically scanning the room - Yuu thought that maybe he hadn’t settled down yet.

Fair enough. Neither had Yuu.

Lenalee was curled up on Melinda’s lap, and Melinda lifted her hand every few seconds to run her hand over Lenalee’s hair, as if checking to make sure she was still there.

Tony was nowhere in sight - he’d insisted on getting Lavi checked over, even if it wasn’t serious. He’d looked freaked out enough that they’d let him in without a second thought. Or maybe that had had something to do with his identity, or the empty Iron Man armor scaring everybody from its corner.

It didn’t really matter, anyway.

Yuu was right next to Natasha, who was talking on the phone, her arm tight around Allen, who appeared to be trying to disappear into her. Her thumb ran periodically over Allen’s forearm, and Allen had calmed down for the most part, though his face was still wet and his breath still hitched every once in a while.

Yuu was hugging his knees to his chest, scowling at the ground, focusing hard on everything that had happened, and how useless he’d been, just so he didn’t have to think about the fact that _Bucky wasn’t here._

“-settled down now. We’re waiting for updates on Morse and Hunter now. Tony’s in with Lavi, too, but Lavi seemed fine.”

Yuu buried his face in his knees and listened halfheartedly. It was better than watching stupid people stare or listening to Allen trying desperately trying to get a grip - Yuu knew Allen well enough to realize how much just that upset him.

“No kidding,” Natasha agreed. Speaking to Steve, Yuu recalled. “Now, the mission?” Pause. Natasha frowned. “Steve?” Another pause, longer, and then Natasha inhaled, slow and sharp. “Damn. And the beast itself?” Whatever Steve said - Yuu tried to summon a little curiosity and failed - it made Natasha blow her breath back out, long and frustrated. “We’ll talk about this more when we get back to base. Understand?” Pause. “Good. And get here soon.”

Mission failure, Yuu summed up dully. He knew that tone.

He stopped paying attention then, except Natasha didn’t seem pleased with that.

“Yuu,” she called crisply, and when he lifted his head to look at her, she was looking at him, expression tired, but offering a small, reassuring smile. “Your dad wants to talk to you.”

Yuu blinked, and felt his chest tighten, and shrugged. When Natasha offered him the phone, though, he took it gingerly and pressed it to his ear, holding it with both hands, head tilted to one side.

 _“Yuu?”_ Bucky’s voice was frantic, and kind of loud. Yuu hissed slightly and hunched over a little more, if possible.

“Bear?” he countered, trying to keep his tone flat. To his disgust, it came out unhappy instead.

 _“Yuu,”_ Bucky repeated, relief pouring into his voice until it overflowed into Yuu, who relaxed involuntarily, if not completely. _“Are you okay? Did you get hurt? You didn’t do anything stupid, did you?”_

“...No,” Yuu muttered, and then cleared his throat and tried to speak a little louder, more confidently. He failed, and it irritated him. “I’m fine.”

There was a short moment of silence, and Yuu was just starting to consider returning the phone when Bucky sighed, frustrated and unhappy. Yuu kept the phone to his ear.

 _“Yuu, I’m sorry I didn’t come,”_ he said quietly. Yuu didn’t respond. _“I didn’t want to make things worse than they already were. Are you sure you’re okay?”_

“I’m fine,” Yuu repeated, gritting his teeth and tensing up again. “It’s fine.”

 _“...I’ll be there soon,”_ Bucky told him, voice heavy. _“I’m sorry for leaving you alone.”_ Involuntarily, Yuu relaxed again, and sighed quietly. Bucky continued, _“Stay safe. Don’t leave Natasha’s sight. Look after your friends.”_

“...You’ll be here?” Yuu asked, hating the vulnerability in his voice and doing nothing about it. “Soon?”

 _“As soon as I can,”_ Bucky swore.

Yuu hesitated, and then he sighed softly. “Okay,” he murmured.

 _“I love you,”_ Bucky said suddenly.

“...Love you too.”

Yuu gave the phone back to Natasha, who smiled at him briefly, took it back, and apparently dismissed the people on the other side, because she hung up shortly after.

Yuu settled down, a little less discontent than before, and waited.

Some ways away, Lenalee sighed as one of Melinda’s hands brushed over the top of her head again, while the other sat clasped over her knee. Neither of them were speaking; neither really wanted to yet.

Lenalee’s eyes were unfocused, gaze resting somewhere on the floor, thinking.

She’d known that she was weaker, like this. She’d known she wasn’t able to fight, or to do most of the things she’d once been able to, for that matter. She’d known that, in a battle situation, she would be worse than useless.

She hadn’t anticipated how _angry_ it would make her.

And then there was Allen. If she _had_ known how she’d react, she might have expected Allen to react similarly - though he might have played the pacifist most of the time, Allen stopped at nothing to protect those he considered precious. He’d fought as hard and as determinedly as any of them, and though he showed it rarely, he had the same ferocity as Kanda, as Krory, as Lenalee did.

But he hadn’t. He’d just cried.

Lenalee, at once, whirled with confusion and ached with sympathy.

But it wasn’t… _just_ her own uselessness that had upset her. She had to, reluctantly or not, admit that much.

“Mommy?” she whispered.

Melinda started slightly, and for the umpteenth time, he hand returned to Lenalee’s head. “Lenalee?” she asked, sharp and worried.

“I talked t’Ward.”

Melinda stilled.

“To Ward?” she repeated at last, voice not quite hoarse.

Lenalee nodded, and turned her head to meet Melinda’s eyes with her own, dim and unhappy and- and just _tired._ Lenalee was tired, but something was crawling under her skin and she couldn’t sleep.

“When they put me on th’ helicopter,” she started, watching Melinda’s face attempt to shut down all expression and not quite succeed, “they called him. An’ he talked t’me then.”

Melinda took a deep breath. “What did he say?”

Lenalee’s gaze flicked away. She dragged it back, focusing on Melinda, who was here and wouldn’t be leaving, not for anything. She’d promised. “Introduced himself. Told me you were wrong ‘bout him. Told me he missed me.”

Melinda slid her hand down from the top to the back of Lenalee’s head, fingers weaving into her hair, cradling it. Lenalee didn’t move. “I’ve told you about Ward,” she warned Lenalee seriously, but not unkindly. “He can’t be trusted, under any circumstances.”

Lenalee bit her lip and nodded. “I know.” She wrinkled her nose slightly. “Didn’ like him anyway. He isn’ evil. But he’s _weak.”_

It wasn’t quite what she meant, but it was the best word she could think of at the moment. Melinda seemed to approve anyway; she smiled tightly and nodded once.

“Good girl,” Melinda murmured, and then, more clearly, “Ward can’t get his hands on you as long as you’re in SHIELD, or with me. I promise.”

Lenalee nodded, managing a small smile.

And then the door opened, and Lenalee craned her neck to watch people pour in - the previously-occupied Avengers, Maria, Melinda’s team, one after another, crowding in.

In a moment, Maria was over by Miranda, hovering, with Mack right behind, while Fitz made his way to Melinda and Lenalee and Simmons branched off to speak to the man at the front desk. The Avengers dispersed among the front desk, Natasha and Allen, and Yuu; Steve reached out for Allen almost as soon as it was possible, and Allen reached back to be scooped up, blinking up at Steve’s worried expression while the man sat beside Natasha, already speaking softly - whether to Natasha or Allen was anyone’s guess.

Bucky, of course, made a beeline for Yuu and then crouched in front of him, eyes anxious, and was talking quietly - too soft for Lenalee to make out, but clearly worried.

And Kanda smiled, briefly, and reached out to cling onto Bucky, who hugged back tightly, looking relieved.

* * *

Late that night - later than any of the children should have been awake, for certain - the Playground’s lab was a hub of activity.

Miranda, who had recovered somewhat, was seated on one examination table, with her wrist under a microscope so that Simmons, who was talking to her quietly and reassuringly, could examine the band around her wrist. The younger of the two looked sleepy, but had expressed a distinct unwillingness to sleep. Natasha could sympathize.

Noise had his Innocence active; he was being put through the latest of several scans, mostly conducted by Fitz, occasionally with the aid of a more-than-slightly distracted Tony, who hadn’t put Lavi down in quite some time. Lavi himself was leaning on his father’s shoulder, blinking tiredly, one hand up to fist in his shirt.

Lincoln, who Natasha had only seen around once or twice, was hovering around the edges, causing problems. As far as she was aware, this was fairly typical of him, especially where Daisy was concerned.

Then again, Natasha would be worried about Daisy, too, if she knew her better - if she were less preoccupied.

Natasha would question why this all had to happen _now,_ but she thought that it likely had something to do with wanting to stay busy, with one of their own gone and little, at the moment, to be done about it.

Bucky was gone; he’d put Yuu to sleep and was staying with him, probably trying to follow suit, the sooner for tomorrow (and its myriad discussions) to come. Natasha might have done the same with Allen, but he’d slept quite heavily on the way, and so was wide awake now, playing quietly with Lenalee, well within Natasha’s sight.

Steve was seated by Natasha, slightly slumped - he’d probably have gone to bed by now if he was less worried, irrational though it admittedly was. His eyes flicked from Allen, seated on the ground, to Noise, who deactivated and reactivated his Innocence in apparent demonstration, to Natasha, who took in the unhappy look in his eyes and nodded slightly in agreement.

“This,” she agreed quietly, “could not have gone much worse.”

The mission had been, in truth, a complete failure - though the base had been completely cleaned out, everyone therein arrested (and how Coulson had managed that, Natasha had no idea), the beast they’d meant to keep confined had escaped, apparently wearing the deceased body of the man they’d meant to rescue.

How they’d worked that out, Natasha was more comfortable not knowing.

The portal had been closed again, but the equipment was intact and also confiscated - they’d need it again, if they couldn’t find a way to actually kill the creature who’d previously inhabited the alien world it led to.

And, on top of that, the creature had some form of brainwashing ability. It hadn’t worked on Wanda, Steve had told her earlier, but it had worked on Daisy.

Daisy, now gone with the beast.

Natasha sighed heavily, resisting the urge to cover her face with her hand, and Steve’s hand appeared between her shoulders, rubbing gently and reassuringly. Natasha glanced at him, and he smiled at her wearily.

Natasha didn’t smile back, and it dropped, letting a more honest set of emotions show - worry, guilt, and exhaustion among them. Natasha inclined her head slightly, mirroring his expression, and then smiled, brief and not necessarily happy.

Then, at the same time, both of them looked away.

Natasha’s gaze caught on Allen again. Though he’d been teetering on the edge of a breakdown earlier, he looked fine now, more or less - it was almost unnerving, given how false Natasha knew it was.

As she watched, she tuned into his soft speech, listening to him and Lenalee instead of the official, low-voiced talk that dominated most of the room.

It was soothing in and of itself, at least at first - normal child’s talk about the game they were playing, a pattern-based game she didn’t recognize. With a hint of amusement, she wondered if it was something they recalled from their first childhoods - a Victorian-era game.

Then Lenalee asked suddenly, “Allen?”

“Hm?” Allen stilled his hand and looked up at her in question. “Len’lee?”

Lenalee stilled too, looking at Allen. “Why were you so scared?”

Natasha’s brow furrowed slightly, and she knew Steve’s attention had been caught, too, by the way he leaned forward, tensing slightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Melinda - watching the scientists’ progress from across the room - spot their reactions and turn her attention on them, and then on the two children, neither of whom noticed.

 _Why_ **_wouldn’t_ ** _he have been scared?_ Natasha wondered silently.

Allen seemed to get it, though; he dropped his gaze almost instantly, and bit his lip before he answered. “...Don’ know. Been scawed a lo’.” His gaze flicked back up to his friend. “All th’ time. Evewyting scawy.”

Natasha had noticed this, that he behaved that way, but it was still frustrating to hear it - she’d do anything to make that stop for him. But if things like this kept happening-

Lenalee bit her lip, too, staring at Allen apprehensively. “Allen… What’s wrong? What’s wrong with you?”

Natasha didn’t think she meant it how it sounded; she didn’t sound cruel or mean. In fact, she sounded worried out of her mind, borderline desperate. Allen dropped his head entirely, refusing to look at Lenalee.

“I don’ know,” he whispered; whatever this was, whatever they were talking about, he clearly understood what Lenalee expected of him far better than Natasha did. “I sowwy, Len’lee, I weally don’ know.”

He sounded like he was close to tears, and Lenalee’s gaze softened instantly. Very gently, she reached forward and wrapped her arms around Allen, who returned it one-armed, leaning into it. It might have seemed childish, but it lacked the abandon Natasha would’ve associated with a child’s hug; instead, it seemed more like the reassuring hug a grown woman would give a friend in need.

And that moment, that one moment of something more mature- it clicked in Natasha’s mind.

Allen had not clicked with his past maturity as well as the others had, and it was worrying both of them. In more accurate terms, at Natasha’s best guess, he wasn’t acting like himself.

Natasha smiled slightly, neither happy nor amused, and wondered if she should worry about it, too.

After a moment, she decided she probably should.


	44. Talking it Over

By the time Tony finally took Lavi back to the room, it was after midnight, and Lavi was half-asleep already, eyes closed and head lolling against Tony’s shoulder.

Lavi kind of wished he’d been better able to pay attention while they were in the lab, but, well, he was exhausted. And still a little shaken; he’d been about as willing to let go of Tony as Tony had been to put him down.

He felt Tony slow to a stop, but ignored it until Tony addressed him, voice low.

“Lavi?”

Lavi mumbled a vague acknowledgement without opening his eyes.

“Do you want to sleep with me and your mom tonight? It’ll be like a party. Except a really quiet party, because your mom’ll get mad if I keep you from sleeping. So like a sleepover. But without the pillow fights. And with actual sleeping.”

Lavi ignored his father’s rambling and thought about it for a moment. The idea hadn’t occurred to him, but it sounded good, especially since he would definitely have a nightmare and would just have to come in later anyway. He nodded.

“Great. Mommy and Daddy and baby make three.”

“Not a baby,” Lavi mumbled, summoning the energy to open his eyes and frown at Tony.

“’Course not,” Tony agreed automatically, opening the door. He might’ve said more, but then Pepper, who’d been pacing inside, flew across the room.

“Thank God you’re both alright,” was the first thing she said, and she took Lavi and clucked quietly. “Tony, did you really have to keep him up so late?”

“I know, I know,” Tony admitted, rubbing his head with a grimace. “Surprisingly enough, I felt a little unsettled after today.”

Pepper set Lavi down on the edge of the bed, and he stayed there, rubbing tiredly at his eyes, rousing himself a little bit but not much. “Well, you weren’t the only one,” she said, with a bite to her tone that startled Lavi more than it should have.

Tony winced. “Sorry,” he apologized, and quickly vanished, returning a moment later with pajamas for Lavi. “Alright, little buddy, arms up.”

Lavi obediently lifted his arms, and Tony pulled his shirt off. Lavi bit down a yelp. Pepper inhaled sharply.

_“Tony.”_

“He’s fine,” Tony assured her quickly, voice slightly strained. “I had him checked at the hospital. He’s fine. Just bruised. Yuu’s given him worse, you remember that time with the-” He gestured vaguely, and Pepper let out something between a gasp and a laugh.

“Just bruised,” Lavi echoed in agreement, only vaguely following the conversation. Bruises were nothing. Not even worth mentioning. He kept his arms up for Tony to slip the pajama shirt over his head, and after a moment, he did.

Pepper took a deep breath, and Lavi felt her hand on his head, smoothing his hair back. “Tony-”

She didn’t finish whatever she was planning on saying, whatever she meant by that pained and worried and frustrated tone, and Tony didn’t look at her, swapping Lavi’s day pants for pajama ones. Finally, Pepper sighed.

“Tony, we’re going to need to talk about this.”

“Yeah,” Tony agreed, rough and uncharacteristically quiet.

Lavi made the crankiest cranky noise to ever crank, and Pepper smiled faintly.

“Alright, Lavi, we’ll be quiet now. Go to sleep.”

Lavi did.

* * *

Lavi woke up some time later, with a jolt that was just enough to summon him back from the yelling and the helicopters and the images of twenty-one year old Kanda thrashing against the grips of people he could not escape.

He lay there and shivered for a few moments, still curled up, hands fisted against his chest, and then, dimly, wondered why he couldn’t feel Pepper and Tony beside him.

Then their voices, not far away – probably on the other end of the bed – registered, and their words started to shuffle away the lingering echoes of his nightmare.

“Then make sure there’s always someone with him!” Pepper was whispering; if she weren’t so determined to stay quiet, Lavi thought that she might have been shouting. “We _live_ on a SHIELD base, with the Avengers around all the time. That has to mean _something.”_

“I’m…” Tony sounded exhausted and unhappy. “I’m not sure that’d be good enough, Pepper.”

“Explain.” That was short and sharp, with all of the wisps of the desperation of earlier still clinging to the word like cobwebs.

“Just _being_ with the Avengers makes him a target – hell, being _associated_ makes him a target.” Bitter chuckle. “There isn’t a way around that, though. Not anymore.”

“Because you can’t back out,” Pepper said heavily. “And even if you could, you wouldn’t.”

“…I’m sorry.” Completely sincere and dripping with guilt.

“I am, too.” Pause. “Could we separate him? Minimize interaction to minimize risk?”

Minimize interaction. Meaning no more Rhodey, no more Steve and Natasha, no more Scott and Bucky and Sam, no more _Lenalee or Allen or Yuu._

Lavi wanted no part of that.

“I’m not a _child,”_ he objected, opening his eyes and pushing himself up to frown at Tony and Pepper.

Both adults started, half-turning to look at him, and instead of ducking shyly or smiling innocently, like he might have, he folded his hands and shoved them in his lap, clearing expression from his face as he looked at them.

Today had been bad. Lavi was still worried about it, still a little scared and upset and angry, and he might have nightmares for a while, or he might not.

But it was nothing notable. No one had died. No one had even gotten too badly hurt. All problems that had been highlighted were solvable, and they _would,_ they _would_ solve them _._ They always had before. They were _okay,_ and Lavi would remember that, and he wanted them to remember that, too.

Pepper recovered quickly and did him the courtesy of not urging him to go back to sleep while they decided his fate. Instead, she told him, in equal parts sweet and stern, “Yes, you are.” Lavi opened his mouth. Pepper didn’t give him the chance. “Yes, you may have once been twenty-three, and you may remember that. But you are five years old _now,_ and that matters.”

Slowly, Lavi closed his mouth, and tilted his head to mull that over.

“It… matters,” he echoed quietly, asking for clarification rather than denying it in any way.

Tony smiled, ironic and a little self-deprecating, and reached out to ruffle Lavi’s hair. “It’s always mattered, little buddy. Yeah, you used to be twenty-three, and sure! That matters too. But you’re five now, so we have to look after you the best we can manage.” He grinned, and Lavi pretended not to see the pain in it. “Even if that’s not so good all the time.”

Lavi unclasped his hands to plant the palms on the bed, on either side of him, and kept his green eyes – two intact green eyes, in a face too small and chubby to be his, atop a body unmarked by scars – on them. Then his gaze flicked aside, and a small smile turned the corners of his lips up.

Lavi remembered being five, the first time. That had been before Bookman picked him up. His mother hadn’t been there; Lavi had no memories of her. But his father had.

Lavi had no fond memories of being five. And his memory was perfect.

Then his smile vanished.

“I’m not gonna be helpless forever,” he said at last, choosing his words carefully. His gaze flicked back to them, and they were _listening –_ not in the way most adults might, humoring him, but listening and processing and considering his words. “You know I won’t, ‘specially since Noise and Miranda proved for sure we’ll activate again. But I can’t leave the others – my friends and the Avengers and the people I know. And you can’t hide me away. You can’t run from this forever, and I can’t, either.”

“Can damn well try,” Tony muttered, but Lavi could tell he agreed. Pepper puffed out a breath.

“You’re not supposed to be the voice of reason,” she said ruefully.

Lavi broke his serious face to grin at her. “I’m the only one not terrified,” he informed her cheerily. “It helps.”

Pepper laughed, and Tony was smiling at both of them, and Lavi giggled softly. The levity only lasted for a moment, though, before the mood turned serious again.

“Still,” Pepper said at last, “this can’t happen again. We have to do something.”

Lavi shrugged. “I guess. Just leave me in the loop. ‘Kay?”

Pepper held his gaze, deep and thoughtful, and Lavi didn’t let his waver. Finally, Pepper sighed, smiled wearily, and patted the space between her and Tony.

“Alright,” she said quietly. “Come here. We’ll work this out.”

Lavi scooted over, hiding his relief, and they talked.

* * *

Natasha took a special, secret comfort in her morning routine. Every morning, she woke up, usually before Steve did, stayed in bed for ten minutes watching him, got up, checked on Allen, checked her weapon stashes, and then went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Then she returned to the bedroom and read until one of them woke up.

This time, when she returned, Steve was already awake. He was watching Allen, gaze soft and pensive, while Allen, curled up in bed after no fewer than three nightmares over the course of the night, slept on.

“I’m worried, too.”

Steve, high-key enough that he’d probably heard her coming, just grimaced. “I didn’t think of Allen being targeted when we took him in,” he admitted, voice rough with both sleep and frustration. “I feel stupid.” He smiled, rueful and self-recriminating. “Guess I wanted it too much to think it through.”

Natasha shrugged, dismissing the last comment. She _had_ thought of it, but- “It was better than the situation he came from,” she pointed out, information she knew Steve was well aware of. “Probably even the one he would’ve gone to.” Especially given what they knew now.

Besides, they’d both wanted it. Natasha had _let_ Steve forget, after all.

Steve sighed, which meant he agreed but didn’t like it. “Lenalee was targeted for her connection to HYDRA,” he commented softly. “Don’t think they know about Allen’s biological father, or they might’ve gone for him, too.” A faint, ominous crease appeared on his forehead and tilted down the corner of his mouth. “A lot of our people seem to have that problem.”

‘Our people’ – the Avengers and their friends, their families. And maybe Coulson’s team, too – if not now, than soon. (Natasha was glad that Hunter and Morse had proved to be good choices.) In other words, everyone Steve felt responsible for.

Natasha’s gaze flicked from Steve to Allen – still asleep, safe and sound, on his little bed – and then back. “We’ll keep them safe,” she replied, and meant it.

Steve glanced at her and managed a smile, pained but sincere. “Yeah,” he agreed. “We will.”

For a few seconds, both of them were quiet, content to sit there and listen to nothing.

Just as Natasha decided to rise and continue her routine, getting dressed for the day, Steve spoke again, sudden.

“I don’t see it.”

Natasha stilled, and then, when Steve just looked at her expectantly, sat back down, looking at him consideringly. After a moment, Steve realized he needed to clarify and did so.

“I don’t see… What Lenalee was looking for.” His brow creased. “I feel like I should.”

Natasha inclined her head slightly. “I don’t either,” she replied, as much a reassurance as a confirmation – if Natasha hadn’t seen it, probably no one would. “But there were signs.” Signs she hadn’t picked up until afterward – Lavi’s persistent worry, Yuu’s confidence in Allen, Miranda’s borderline idolization – things she scolded herself for not picking up on sooner.

All that, and she still had only the faintest idea what she was looking for.

“I’d like to,” Steve said, just as suddenly as he’d announced his ignorance. “I want to see it.”

“We will,” Natasha answered, glancing at Allen and letting her gaze, this time, linger. “He won’t be a toddler forever, Steve.” A small smile curved her lips. “He’ll grow up again, and we’ll see it.”

Steve granted her an answering smile, easier than the one he’d surrendered previously. “There’s no stopping time,” he murmured, and she smirked at him.

“You’d know a lot about that, wouldn’t you, soldier?”

Years ago, before Steve had built a life, before he’d had time to mourn, that might have hurt; from anyone else, it still might.

Here and now, though, from Natasha, Steve just smiled.

“Enough to realize that there’s no time to waste,” he murmured, completely and abruptly sincere.

Natasha’s smile gained a soft edge, and it might have gone further, but a yawn broke the moment, and both of them looked over as Allen murmured awake, squirming out from under his blanket.

“Morning, little angel,” Steve greeted with a likely involuntary smile, and Natasha sat back and watched with a little smile of her own while Steve went over to Allen, who blinked at him sleepily before lifting his arm to be picked up.

She would do anything to keep this, she decided.

Anything at all.

* * *

Yuu almost always finished dressing before Bucky did, which was a wonder, considering how much more Yuu seemed to struggle with it. Maybe it had something to do with the weapons Bucky hid among his clothing.

But regardless of why it was, Yuu usually finished a few minutes before Bucky did, and would wait impatiently by the door for Bucky to finish, rocking on his heels with his hands clasped behind his back, occasionally making small frustrated noises.

If Bucky was honest with himself, he usually slowed down just for that. It was funny.

In hindsight, maybe that was why Yuu finished first.

Bucky wasn’t in the mood to laugh, though – his mind was on what Natasha had told him the night before, catching him just as he slipped out the lab door with one of the most serious faces he’d ever seen her wear.

Bucky finished dressing in small, deliberate motions, hesitated for a brief moment, and then looked up.

“Yuu,” he said at last.

Yuu, apparently catching something in his tone, looked up at him sharply. Then he abandoned the door to climb back onto the bed and kneel beside him, palms flat on the bed in front of him and head tipped back to look Bucky in the eye.

Bucky looked at Yuu, at his round face and worried frown, the fragility of his frame and the burn of his eyes, and dearly wished he could tear HYDRA down brick by brick, limb by limb, member by member, rather than have to tell Yuu what he now had to.

“Do you remember what the HYDRA agent said to you?” he asked at last. His hands were open, the palms resting on his thighs, betraying none of the tension his shoulders did, but his eyes never left Yuu’s.

Yuu scowled at him. “Which one?” he muttered spitefully. “There were _lots.”_

He’d been tense and angry since he’d returned from the zoo, and Bucky didn’t think it was entirely from the stress of the attack, either. But he didn’t know what to do about it.

Bucky bit his cheek to keep a frustrated growl away. “The one who tried to do something to your mind,” he replied tensely.

Yuu went still, and then his scowl deepened slightly, and he didn’t speak. His navy eyes cut to one side, though, which indicated that he was thinking, not ignoring Bucky. After a moment, he finally answered, slow and halting,

“He said… said…” He clenched his jaw, ground his teeth, unclenched it, and continued, “Ubiytsa – that’s me. And then…” Clench, grind, unclench. “G-gordynya.”

 _Pride,_ Bucky translated silently.

“And then…” Yuu’s brow furrowed, deep and troubled, and he paused for long enough that Bucky became concerned, but then continued, haltingly, “R-rost. Then… Lyul’ka. And… P-pol…” He bit his cheek. Hesitated. “I can’t remember. It makes my head hurt.”

In all honesty, Bucky was a little surprised that Yuu could remember that much. It gave him as much hope as the fact that it hadn’t quite worked – with less than a year to work with, HYDRA had not had sufficient time to embed the sequence deep enough for total control.

Another long moment of silence, where neither of them especially wanted to speak. Finally, Yuu looked up at Bucky, frowning.

“…Why? What is it?”

There was a note of apprehension, of fear, in Yuu’s voice, which made Bucky wonder if Yuu already had an idea of what it was meant for.

“It’s a control sequence,” Bucky said at last – abruptly, like tearing off a band-aid. Yuu stilled, and Bucky continued, “It’s meant to hand control of your higher brain functions to your…” He resisted going through the same clench, grind, unclench pattern that Yuu had been earlier. “Handler. Should you have become an assassin.”

 _“…Oh.”_ Yuu did it for him, both his fists matching the motion as well, clenching and digging into the bedspread.

“I have one, too,” Bucky added, voice low, and Yuu went still again. “Very few operatives still know it… But I do.” His gaze was serious. “Done correctly, it’ll let you remember everything, but you won’t have any control. You won’t even realize it wasn’t right until later.”

It was harsher than he’d meant, as much a reminder to himself, of the consequences of failure, as a warning to Yuu. Which worked a little too well, he realized – Yuu was visibly frightened now.

“It didn’t work, though,” Yuu said insistently, eyes focused and a little desperate, which surprised Bucky more than it maybe should have. “It didn’t work!”

“It didn’t work,” Bucky agreed, letting his relief make its way into his voice. “It just disorients you. You’ll be okay.”

Yuu stared at him, breathing quickly and eyes wide, and nodded.

“Pride,” Bucky added, and Yuu tilted his head slightly, questioning. “Growth. Cradle. Midnight. Eight. Aspiration. Six. Nomadic. Three. Freeze. Translated into Russian, those words make up your control code. If you hear more than a few, run.”

Bucky had heard the code once, from Natasha, who’d replayed and memorized it from FRIDAY’s recordings. He would not forget.

Yuu, pale and serious, nodded. Bucky smiled wearily and tugged lightly on his ponytail, and Yuu’s frightened look transformed into a scowl, his clenched fists loosening into an open palm to swat at him.

“Now let’s go,” Bucky murmured. “Don’t want to worry anyone.”

 Yuu grumbled quietly, and of course, he was waiting by the door before Bucky had even risen to his feet.

A minute later, they were out the door again, as if it were any other day.


	45. Hazy Mile Markers

“Agent Johnson was able to overwhelm Vision long enough for the creature to escape,” Steve continued, expression set in stone even as his fist lay clenched on the table. “Vision recovered in time to retrieve Falcon and exit the area before the portal could close.”

“And the rest of you couldn’t subdue the creature?” Rosalind cut in, eyes narrowed slightly with concentration and disapproval.

The day after the failed portal mission, a meeting had been called to deal with recent events and to form a plan of action. In the meeting room, Steve, Tony, Coulson, Rosalind, and Maria sat around the table, each face as serious as the last.

Steve inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. “No, ma’am. We weren’t even aware of what had happened until it was too late.” He wasn’t proud of it, and it was a lapse in judgement that he’d have to be careful not to repeat.

He’d been distracted. But that was no excuse.

“Where is it now?” Maria cut in, directing the question mostly at Tony, who shrugged and waved one hand dismissively.

“FitzSimmons is on it,” he informed her, hiding a small smirk at the thought of the lab couple; for what time they’d had, they’d hit it off remarkably well. Not as well as him and Bruce, of course – and where _was_ that guy? – but close. “FRIDAY’s supervising them, too, so they’ve got access to all her scanners.” In other words, effectively, all the scanners currently online anywhere in the world. FRIDAY’s reach was as far as JARVIS’ had ever been, considering she’d been quite literally following in his footsteps.

“And Agent Johnson?”

Kudos to Coulson’s poker face. If Tony hadn’t known better, he’d have said that the guy didn’t care.

“We don’t know,” Steve admitted. “We don’t know how the beast brainwashed her, other than that it was probably an ability it has. We don’t know who it can and can’t affect, and we don’t know how to stop it.” The line of his mouth thinned. “We’ll find out.”

“’Course we will,” Tony said bracingly, slapping Steve on the shoulder. _Ow._ It was like hitting a brick wall. …Not that Tony would know anything about that. “Have faith, Agent, do you know us at _all?”_

That look of trust. Tony was unnerved.

Apparently Coulson really _did_ trust them to work this out.

“We’ll decide what to do when we have more information,” Steve added, but his face had softened with empathy.

“Don’t forget,” Rosalind said sternly, gaze flicking between them briefly. “The Avengers are not the independent entity they once were.”

Oh, Tony knew. It was the only reason the government had backed off of them (for now).

Thank God for little miracles.

“Coulson and I will be a part of any plan you may make,” Rosalind finished, and that was one _hell_ of a poker face on her, too. “Keep us informed.”

“Of course,” Steve promised.

“Speaking of brainwashing,” Maria murmured, gaze fixed unerringly on Steve, who did not have a good poker face and could not hide his flinch, “Bucky and Yuu Barnes.”

Tony stole a glance at Steve, whose expression had resolved again into steel, thinly concealing a brittle, worried look. (Steve needed to take lessons from Natasha on how to not wear his heart on his sleeve.)

“Yes?” Steve prompted, tone suggestive of a warning hidden behind that well-meaning veneer he had.

 _“Control codes,”_ Rosalind said pointedly, and Steve’s eyes darkened with both frustration and regret. “Captain, I know you’ve discussed this with Barnes. What are your intentions?”

“We’re not asking you to neutralize him,” Coulson broke in, seeing Steve’s expression. “Nor his son. But it would be too dangerous to leave them unchecked, Captain. Measures need to be taken.”

Steve took a deep breath, scolded himself for being unreasonable, and nodded. “I’ll speak to Bucky about it,” he said reluctantly. “I’m thinking about taking him off HYDRA missions.” Other missions were few and far between, as of late – but then again, the beast probably qualified as non-HYDRA. Steve was willing to bet that, no matter what HYDRA had expected, that thing wasn’t taking any human sides.

Bucky wouldn’t like it, but Steve thought he’d agree. For Yuu, if nothing else.

“Yuu shouldn’t be a concern, as long as he’s kept out of HYDRA hands,” Maria said offhandedly, though Tony knew better than to think she was as careless as she appeared; Maria was as bad as Natasha some days, and there were lines of tension in her face. “At least, not until his Innocence activates.”

A short silence followed up those words, and a new wave of seriousness washed over the room.

“Nope,” Tony agreed, with forced cheer. “But Lavi tells me it’ll be a hell of a thing when he does. We’ll just have to work this out before then, won’t we?”

“Yes, about that.” Coulson leaned forward slightly, casual except for the slight flex of his prosthetic hand. “Stark, what did you and FitzSimmons discover about the Innocence the other day?”

“I’m rather concerned about the strain it seemed to put on Miranda,” Maria added, eyes narrowing slightly.

Tony shrugged. “Not much. It’s got a tight hold on its secrets.” He surrendered a slightly tense grin. “It definitely enhanced their strength – Noise’s more than Miranda’s – and it changed some of their biomechanisms – Simmons wrote a report on that. Actually, why are you even talking to me, both of them wrote reports, and isn’t this a security meeting?”

Coulson inclined his head slightly, conceding the point with a bland smile. “I’ll be sure to take a look at those.”

“I’ll look for a way to lessen the strain,” Tony added to Maria, and did not mention that Allen’s life might depend on his success. “Don’t worry your scary self about it.”

He just wouldn’t fail, was all.

“Also.” Now Rosalind looked serious again, not that she ever _hadn’t_ looked serious, but she looked almost- _concerned._ “Lenalee.”

Coulson’s frown deepened, and Steve straightened up slightly. Maria’s gaze slid over, intent.

“The fact that Ward targeted her is… concerning,” Rosalind expanded.

“It is,” Maria agreed, frowning slightly. “Especially given Ward’s family history.”

Tony was intrigued, and also deeply did not want to know. Lenalee was a sweet little girl, Lavi was downright _infatuated_ with her, and this did not bode well.

“Agent May is on it,” Coulson assured them, but he was frowning, too. “Though I’m sure she would appreciate some help.”

“Several of the kids are targets, for more than one reason, most of them,” Steve offered, serious. “We’re making plans to step up security. We can include Lenalee in that, Agent May willing.”

“Pepper and I were talking about this last night,” Tony pitched in, choosing not to mention Lavi’s participation for the sake of keeping things simple. “Came up with a few things that ought to at least make a start.”

“Go for it,” Steve said instantly; no matter their disagreements, he usually trusted Tony’s ideas and judgement.

Tony was surprised, honestly. Tony didn’t trust his _own_ judgement half the time. That was why he had Pepper.

“Restrict access to them,” Tony started, keeping his tone short and clipped, gaze intent on Steve, who looked right back, brow furrowed slightly, listening. “No one we don’t know and no one we haven’t approved. Keep them on base, at least for now. Make sure there’s at least one Avenger with them at all times.” He glanced at Maria and offered a small smirk. “Most of us are pretty good with kids by now, and Lenalee’s friends with them. Shouldn’t be a problem.” He transferred his gaze back to Steve. “Good start?”

“Good start,” Steve agreed.

“They’ll love this,” Coulson commented offhandedly.

Everyone winced.

Yeah. Lavi hadn’t been too thrilled about it. Tony couldn’t imagine the others would react much better.

Still, Tony wasn’t willing to risk anything happening. Not again.

* * *

“Mommy?”

Melinda’s gaze flicked up from her report instantly, landing on Lenalee, who was sitting up now, one hand pressed against the nearly-finished crayon drawing she’d been working on.

She hadn’t lost track of Lenalee once since the day before, and if asked, probably couldn’t have even counted the number of times she’d woken during the night to check on her. It had left her tired, not quite as functional as she would like, but she would not lapse.

“Baby girl?” Melinda prompted, when Lenalee didn’t do anything with the attention she’d garnered.

“…Were you scared?”

Lenalee’s head was tilted slightly, unwavering brown eyes on Melinda’s. Melinda didn’t let herself react, nor did she break her gaze.

“Why do you ask?” Melinda asked instead of answering, placing her pen down onto the report. It could wait. Coulson was hardly going to call her on it, after all.

Lenalee’s gaze turned slightly frustrated. _“Mommy.”_

Melinda held her gaze for a few moments, and then sighed, closing her eyes briefly. “Terrified,” she admitted at last, and opened them again. “I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get to you in time.”

But she had. Just barely, but she had. It still made Melinda’s heart race to think about it.

“I couldn’ do anything,” Lenalee told her, and her head was dipped, eyes dropped to the ground. It wasn’t enough to hide the sadness in her face, or the frustration in her eyes, in the furrow of her brow, the slight scowl at her mouth. “I mean… I knew tha’. But I didn’ _know.”_ Her gaze flicked up without changing expression, and Melinda’s breath caught for a moment before she forced it to even out. “I don’ like it.”

Lenalee, Melinda recalled, was used to fighting. She’d hated it, Melinda knew that much, but she _had_ fought, and fought hard.

She couldn’t do much of that at the moment, and Melinda couldn’t imagine what it was doing to her, to be unable to help herself, let alone her friends.

But just the _thought_ of Lenalee fighting made Melinda’s heart race. She knew fighting, knew it better than most other things, and certainly better than she knew motherhood.

Among other things, she knew how much it could hurt, and she knew what it did to one’s mind.

But she forced herself to calm, and slipped out of her chair to sit down, cross-legged, in front of Lenalee, who shifted to tilt her head back and look at her.

“No one likes being helpless,” Melinda said at last, carefully, keeping her eyes on her daughter. Some of the frustration melted out of Lenalee’s expression, leaving the sadness behind, and she nodded. “But it won’t be forever, baby girl. You’re three years old. You’ll grow up again.”

“Lavi an’ Yuu were sparring,” Lenalee said softly, suddenly. Melinda suppressed a start at the unexpected information. “They have been fo a while. They aren’ what they use to be, but they better than I am.” Her nose wrinkled. “They didn’ seem this much older _‘fore.”_

Melinda had to work hard to suppress a laugh at Lenalee’s put-out expression. Yes, a two-year age difference meant much less in your late teens. As it was, five wasn’t much better than three, and Melinda wasn’t any fonder of the idea of them fighting than Lenalee, but if it helped-

Melinda was struck, abruptly, with an idea. She’d been thinking about it already – not so soon, of course, but eventually – and she tilted her head slightly, looking at Lenalee.

Lenalee, she was sure, would do anything for a chance to get back a little control.

Melinda could understand that much, that desperation for control.

“I could give you lessons in tumbling,” she said at last, and Lenalee’s eyes widened slightly, the little girl perking up. “Meant for someone your age, with your capabilities. It’s not self-defense-” Shockingly, they didn’t make self-defense lessons for three year olds. “-but it should help you regain some of your athletic ability.”

Lenalee couldn’t nod fast enough. Melinda’s lips curled in a small, amused smile.

That was a start, she supposed.

* * *

“Why am I here?”

Steve grinned at Fury, who looked put-out.

“Be happy,” Steve told Fury. “Tony was all for keeping you off the list of approved persons. You being dead and all.”

“Fuck off,” Fury told him, and gave Allen, padding toward the couch, a warning glower. Allen reached the couch and pulled himself up on the other end, giving him a shy smile. Fury rolled his eyes and then glowered at Steve. “I still _cannot_ believe you let security get lax enough for an attack to get that close.” And he was _not_ fond of the kids, that was _not_ the reason his voice was so sharp.

Steve’s grin vanished, and so did Allen’s. Allen’s head dropped, and he huddled back a little, eyes dropping to the ground. Fury scowled.

“No’ Daddy’s faul’,” Allen murmured without looking up, and pushed himself into the corner of the couch. If it were one of the other kids, Fury might’ve been concerned about him going leech, but no. Allen didn’t do that unless the others were around. “Didn’ know dey want anyting wih us.”

“He _should have,”_ Fury said sternly, without looking away from Steve. Allen fell silent, which he’d been more prone to doing in the week since the incident at the zoo.

Steve thought that maybe he’d noticed his own vulnerability, but he wasn’t sure what to do about it. What did you do when someone was so scared they didn’t act like themselves? What did you do when they were a _toddler –_ when they were _your_ toddler?

Hell if Steve knew.

“Allen,” Steve called, and Allen perked up and looked at him questioningly. Steve smiled, prompting a smile in return, and asked, “Do you want to play for a bit? I brought your ball.” It was over by the door, a blue ball slightly larger than Steve’s fist.

Allen’s smile brightened and he nodded quickly, sliding off the couch and scurrying off when Steve indicated where he’d put it.

He only tripped once this time, Steve noted with a smile he didn’t bother hiding. (Aside from how quiet he’d been lately, and the nightmares only he and Nat knew about, Allen seemed remarkably unaffected by the events at the zoo. Which was more than most of the Avengers could say.)

Allen returned with the ball pressed against him by his right arm, curled around it with his finger splayed and palm flat, and Steve gestured encouragingly. Allen smiled brightly again and tossed it, and Steve made a playful show of fumbling it before he tossed it back, and Allen scrambled after it, laughing.

Within minutes, Fury got dragged in as well, of course, grumbling and complaining, but participating nonetheless. Usually by throwing it spitefully at Steve’s legs, so he couldn’t catch it and had to go after it. (Which made Allen giggle. Steve wasn’t sure whether or not to be grateful.)

Steve was glad he didn’t really have to worry about Allen being taught new curse words. Around this group, it was a bit of a lost cause.

Had it been up to Steve, he’d have ignored all the little panic attacks he had – when Allen fell and got up too slowly, when he moved wrong and the ball hit him in the face, when he disappeared out of sight for fifteen seconds to get the ball from where it had rolled – but it wasn’t, apparently.

“Pretty fucking fragile, isn’t he?” Fury glanced at Steve, and it was as much a challenge as it was a comment. Steve had to fight not to bristle, and instead, he sighed.

“I suppose,” he murmured, and wondered why that, in itself, was so unsettling.

Fury tilted his head toward him slightly, and then looked back and raised an eyebrow.

Steve looked over, too, and Allen had returned, ball in hand, with an unwavering silver gaze on Steve. Steve smiled, and this time, Allen did not smile back.

Instead, Allen tossed him the ball, and wasn’t looking when Steve tossed it back.

Steve didn’t look at Fury. He didn’t want to see what kind of expression the man was wearing.

* * *

_“Coulson! I’m getting reports of increased activity from your division, and I’ve goddamn had it – are you going to show me what you’ve been up to or not?”_

Coulson hid a smile at Talbot’s outburst, far from the first of its kind, but, given that he really _was_ pushing the limit, tapped the phone quietly. Why did Talbot have his phone number, again? Oh, yes. Government liaison.

Politics. Never been Coulson’s favorite thing.

“Alright, General,” Coulson said at last, keeping his voice even and his smile bland, though no one was there to see it. Talbot fell suspiciously silent, as he well should – Coulson was going to _enjoy_ this. “I’ll send someone to take you on base in, say… Two weeks?”

They needed, as much as Coulson hated to say it, government resources.


	46. Variations Thereof

“I can’t believe I got shot in the shoulder _again,”_ Bobbi complained, not for the first time, reaching up to rub gingerly at her bandages.

“Neither can Mommy,” Lenalee informed her, kneeling on the edge of the bed.

They were in the infirmary, with Bobbi still bed-bound, though she was more than healthy enough to be restless about it. Lenalee was just beside her, while Wanda and Hunter were on either side of the bed, Hunter being opposite Lenalee and Wanda.

“It’s a conspiracy,” Hunter deadpanned in return. He’d been released once his concussion cleared up, but he’d kept on visiting Bobbi on a regular basis.

Wanda was visibly concerned, eyes lingering briefly on the bandages before returning to Bobbi’s face. The younger woman offered a small smile. “Think of it this way. You’re going to be allowed out soon, will you not?”

“And then I’ll be going through PT hell again,” Bobbi complained, but she was smiling. “Yes, that’s true. Believe me, I’m counting on it.”

Lenalee giggled. “Gettin’ impatient?”

“So impatient,” Bobbi agreed.

“She is the _worst_ patient,” Hunter informed them both, rolling his eyes. But he was smiling slightly, relaxed in his chair, even as his gaze flicked periodically back to check on Bobbi. “It’s one of the many qualities that make her a she-demon.”

“Oh, don’t you even start,” Bobbi said crossly.

Lenalee was pretty sure that Bobbi was not the worst patient. It was probably Allen, she decided, and if not Allen, then it was probably her. The Head Nurse probably could’ve provided hours of stories about the two of them.

“Sorry,” she said instead of saying this, reaching up to tug at her hair reluctantly.

“Or you,” Bobbi said sternly, ruffling her hair briefly, making her squeak. “It’s not your fault, no matter the circumstances around it.”

“HYDRA is not noted for its care for its enemy agents,” Wanda added, apparently in support. And then, “You and Allen.” She shook her head. “You are forgetting that you are children.”

Lenalee ‘hm’ed and left it alone, because she couldn’t bring her thoughts together enough for _her_ to make something coherent of it, let alone explain to someone else. “The Avengers been really nice to me,” she told Bobbi instead. “It nice ‘cause I get to see my friends a lot.”

Bobbi smiled, more genuinely than before. “Is that so?” She glanced up at Wanda. “Thanks a lot. It’s a relief not to have to worry about her as much.”

Wanda smiled back and waved. “It is nothing,” she said, slightly embarrassed, cheeks coloring.

“Yeah, sure, the protection of the Avengers, that’s nothing at all,” Hunter pitched in, clearly barely restraining a roll of his eyes, tone heavy with sarcasm.

Lenalee smiled, but at the same time, her hands clasped together, an involuntary signal of deep thought. (She didn’t want to be _protected,_ she didn’t say.)

“Not to an Avenger,” Wanda informed him, smiling again with her cheeks bright red, and Hunter threw his hands up.

“I _guess,”_ he muttered skeptically.

“Take her word for it,” Bobbi advised, clearly trying not to laugh at him.

_“Whatever.”_

* * *

Yuu’s eyes were very blue, and when he stared at someone, they were either completely impassive or unnervingly intent. This time, they were the latter. Scott decided that it would be easier to look at Lenalee, on his other side, except she was staring at him, too, one fist clenched lightly in his sleeve, brown eyes wide and innocent.

Scott grimaced, book open in his lap, a hopeful kids crowded in on either side of him.

“You don’t actually want me to sing it,” he told them, as if that would change their minds.

“Please?” Lenalee nearly begged, eyes bright, leaning against him as if that would change _his_ mind. Yuu didn’t say anything, but his expectant gaze didn’t waver, either.

Scott groaned. _“Fine.”_ He looked down at the book and, somewhat awkwardly, voice wavering, he sang, “A penny for a spool of thread, another for a needle, that’s the way the money goes-”

Lenalee let out a delighted squeal, and Scott exhaled and gave her a wry smile. Yuu was smiling, and his gaze transferred from Scott back down to the book. Scott shook his head and, without comment, continued in a normal voice,

“Laura and Mary bent close, watching, for they knew now was the time. Pop! Said Pa’s finger on the string. Goes the weasel! Sang the fiddle, plain as plain.” Lenalee giggled, and Yuu leaned further in. “But Laura and Mary hadn’t seen Pa’s finger make the string pop. Oh, please, please do it again, they begged him. Pa’s blue eyes laughed, and the fiddle went on while he sang-”

Scott grimaced, but it really wasn’t worth arguing again. So, with another wry smile, he sang,

“All around the cobbler’s bench, the monkey chased the weasel, the preacher kissed the cobbler’s wife- _Pop!_ Goes the weasel!”

To his surprise, that time, Lenalee sang along with him, slightly off-key. Yuu was shaking occasionally with silent laughter, a small smile on his face. Scott chuckled and reached up to run his fingers through his hair.

“God, I haven’t sung in ages,” he admitted, shaking his head, palm pressing down flat across the book’s pages to hold his place.

“Was nice,” Lenalee assured him, smiling.

“I’m sure,” Scott said ruefully. Yuu made a frustrated noise, and Scott chuckled and looked down to finish the chapter. “They hadn’t seen Pa’s finger that time, either. He was so quick they could never catch him. So they went laughing to bed and lay listening to Pa and the fiddle singing:” He didn’t pause this time, but he did shoot Lenalee a smile and tap the page to indicate where the lyrics began, as if she hadn’t been following along the whole time. “There was an old darkey, and his name was Uncle Ned-”

Lenalee sang along, shamelessly off-key and almost tuneless this time, and Yuu swayed slightly in place, head bobbing carefully in rhythm.

“There’s no more work for Uncle Ned, for he’s gone where the good darkeys go,” Scott finished, and closed the book. Yuu made a sound of protest.

“What, that’s the end?”

“That’s the end of the chapter,” Scott confirmed, chuckling quietly. “You’ll have to wait another day for the next.”

Yuu grumbled, and though Scott knew he could read the book perfectly well for himself, he didn’t make a move for it. Lenalee smiled.

“Thank you, Scott,” she said cheerfully, tilting her head up to smile at him.

“No problem,” Scott assured her, smiling back. “It’s nice to take a bit of down time now and again.” He chuckled. “And I used to read that book to Cassie. My mom always insisted that it was mandatory reading.” It also took place around the time they’d been alive, which he didn’t mention.

“Do you miss ‘em?” Lenalee asked, eyes shining up at him with an innocent curiosity.

Scott hid a grimace. “Honestly, I don’t see them a lot less often with this gig than I did before,” he admitted. “I miss them, but I’d miss them anyway.”

Lenalee made a soft noise of understanding. “I miss my brother,” she told him, quiet and empathetic. “But I with my friends now, an’ tha’ makes it easier.” She tilted her head. “Does bein’ friends with the Avengers make it easier for you?”

Scott gave her a smile that was a little more genuine. “It does, actually,” he admitted, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. And then, as much out of curiosity as concern, “What about you, Yuu? Do you have anyone you miss?”

Yuu twitched, which Scott had expected, and scowled fiercely. “No!” he snapped.

“Yuu,” Lenalee protested, and then, to Scott, “He probably misses his old master – Tiedoll. An’…” She glanced at Yuu, who was giving her a baleful look, and obviously changed what she was going to say. “Well, me an’ Yuu have been friends longer than anyone. I was already at th’ Order when he came, so… ‘round ten years, I think.”

Yuu scowled at her for a moment longer, and then nodded reluctantly. “Longer than anyone,” he echoed quietly. And then, “Lenalee was always strong. It’s not a surprise she survived that long.”

The two kids were looking at each other, long and lingering, and it never failed to be a surprise when they suddenly decided to act a lot less like kids. Scott let them do their thing for a few moments before he asked,

“How’s it going with Miri, by the way?” It seemed relevant.

Yuu’s gaze broke from Lenalee’s and flicked back up to him. He shrugged. “Fine. She’s nosy. But she’s smart sometimes, I guess.”

Scott hid a chuckle. Lenalee didn’t bother.

“She keeps askin’ him t’ draw his feelings,” Lenalee explained to Scott, smiling with amusement. “And then she talks t’ him ‘bout them.”

Scott smiled. He could see how that would annoy Yuu, who only rarely explained himself under any circumstance, and wondered what had prompted the ‘smart sometimes’ admission.

“What about you?” he asked Lenalee.

She shrugged, smile fading. “I dunno. She doesn’ get wha’ we sayin’ all th’ time. Bu’ she knows that. She tries.” Flicker of a smile. “She lets me an’ Allen play mostly, but sometimes she asks us to use things she gives us.”

Scott didn’t know enough about therapy to make anything of that, so he just smiled bemusedly. “I see.”

Lenalee laughed at him. “Lavi gets it worst. She mostly asks him questions. An’ sometimes she asks him ‘bout the rest of us.”

Scott chuckled. Therapy was the bane of most agents, probably because they hated talking about feelings. He didn’t think Lavi would hate it quite as much as they did, but he might come close.

Yuu had apparently had enough of this subject and prodded at Scott. “Have you talked to Cassie lately?” he asked, returning to an earlier point in the conversation.

Scott suppressed an outright laugh. Yuu had taken to asking about Cassie recently, and he wondered if he missed playing with her – something he’d only done three times, before they transferred to the Tower.

Then it occurred to him to wonder if the other kids would like playing with her. God knew Cassie could make friends with anyone – it was a gift of hers, and she’d love them, odd or no. And it’d be a good excuse to see her more often, because he _did_ miss her, a lot.

A moment later, he dismissed the thought regretfully. It wasn’t safe.

A lot of things weren’t safe.

* * *

“This was a terrible idea,” Rhodey announced.

“Of course it was,” Pepper agreed amiably, sitting behind him, legs crossed. “You should know better than to go along with Stark family ideas.”

“I know better than to go along with _Tony’s_ ideas. I didn’t think it extended to _Lavi.”_

“That’s just silly.”

Rhodey heaved a put-upon sigh, and Pepper smacked his shoulder lightly.

“Don’t move.”

 _“God,_ you’re bossy.” Rhodey stilled anyway. Lavi, leaning on his shoulder with one hand extended and the other on Rhodey’s arm, giggled. “Don’t you start, baby Stark. This is all your fault.”

Lavi made a ‘mm-hm’ sort of sound and reached up, and Rhodey shut his eyes as something cold was swiped across his forehead.

“I’m never going to be clean again,” Rhodey said when Lavi took his hand away, leaving a streak of bright yellow.

Rhodey was seated on the floor of an empty storage room, with a plastic tarp on the ground and a Stark on either side of him. Rhodey’s shirt was off, and tins of paint surrounded the three of them. Pepper was making careful pictures on his back with them, and Lavi was mostly smearing them carelessly on his front, usually his face.

“Clean’s overrated,” Lavi assured Rhodey with a bright smile, patting him on the arm and leaving a vaguely hand-shaped yellow splotch. “Messy’s fun.”

“Says you,” Rhodey complained, and sighed, feeling Pepper tracing an arching line on his back. “I guess it’s better than letting you get into more trouble. You’re as bad as your father.”

Lavi giggled and rinsed his hand off, returning with green paint. “Mm-hm.”

 _“Thank you,_ Rhodey,” Pepper said, mildly exasperated. “Sparring, Lavi? You’re five. _Sparring.”_

_  
_

“What?” Rhodey asked, at the same time Lavi yelped,

 

“What?” and fell over.

“I heard from May,” Pepper said sternly, peeking around Rhodey to give him a look that was in equal parts exasperated and disapproving. “Lenalee told her about what you and Yuu were doing.” She paused, thought about that sentence for a moment, spared a sigh, but without comment, continued, “You should have said something.”

Lavi huffed and dropped his gaze, visibly uncomfortable. His green-plastered hand lingered with its fingertips pressed to Rhodey’s to crook of Rhodey’s elbow. “Didn’t think it mattered,” he mumbled, and moved his hand, leaving streaks of green that ran halfway down to Rhodey’s wrist. “We didn’t wanna _fight,_ just remember how.”

Pepper sighed. “I know, honey, but you still should have said something. It’s not safe for you to sneak out, and it’s certainly not safe for you to spar unsupervised.”

“Don’t do it _anymore,”_ Lavi protested.

“Yeah, that doesn’t usually fly,” Rhodey informed him, and rolled his eyes. “You’re too much like Tony for your own good.”

Lavi cast him a bright, innocent smile. Rhodey wasn’t fooled for a moment. Pepper laughed.

“May’s giving Lenalee tumbling lessons,” she said at last, relaxing slightly. “If you’re really determined to get back to your previous point, we could arrange something similar for you and Yuu.”

“And sprout,” Lavi said instantly, but he was smiling.

Pepper hesitated slightly, and then smiled, nodded, and agreed, “And for Allen.”

Lavi beamed at her. “Thanks, Mommy!”

Pepper paused to reach over and stroke her fingers briefly through Lavi’s hair, leaving streaks of red. “You’re very welcome.”

It had been weeks, and Coulson still thought it was weird not to hear the sounds of the kids playing in the halls and/or terrorizing agents. Still, he was grateful for it as he led Talbot through the halls toward his office.

Lenalee might be able to slip past security, but she couldn’t slip past her mother.

Yet.

* * *

Talbot was looking around with unconcealed interest, taking in the agents moving about, and then the room where Lincoln was arguing with Mack, who looked frustrated and just about ready to take the other man’s side, which was concerning. Coulson had a plan to get Daisy back, but going charging in recklessly after her the moment she was spotted? Was _not_ part of it.

“Busy place you’ve got here,” Talbot commented, suspicion resonating clearly in his tone. It was almost cute.

“Lots of stuff to do,” Coulson returned mildly.

They reached his office, and Coulson seated himself behind his desk, then looked at Talbot expectantly, hands folded neatly on his desk. Talbot’s gaze flickered briefly around the room, settled on the chair across from Coulson’s desk, and, theoretically without giving away any of his feelings about it, went to sit in the chair, straight-backed and impatient.

Coulson did so love having the advantage. Even if it was mainly psychological.

Talbot crossed his arms and leapt in, which was something Coulson fully expected, after the waiting he’d put the man through. “Enough of this, Coulson. What’ve you got for me? Price wasn’t real forthcoming.”

Rosalind knew what was at stake as well as Coulson did, and anyway had slightly bigger concerns at the moment. The corners of his lips tweaked upward slightly, but the smile was gone as soon as it came.

“Well, first thing first.” He reached into his desk, rummaged in a drawer for a minute (his desk was a _mess)_ and then slid a folder across the table to Talbot, because both of them often appreciated the feel of paper between their fingers, even if Stark did not. “We found this beast in a portal to another world.”

Talbot squinted at the picture. “This is a man,” he said flatly.

“It _looks_ like a man,” Coulson corrected, and there was a fatalistic sort of humor in his voice now. He couldn’t help it. “It’s actually, as far as we can tell, a swarm of parasites that possesses human hosts, takes on their memories, and has the ability to brainwash Inhumans into following it unconditionally.”

Talbot looked up at him, and Coulson could almost identify the exact moment at which Talbot realized that Coulson was not, in fact, messing with him. Talbot gritted his teeth, mastered himself, and asked, “You _do_ have it under control?”

Coulson had to admit, he was almost impressed. “Not exactly,” he admitted. “We’re working on it; this occurred only a few weeks ago.” That. Had not been a good day. “It took one of our own; that’s how we discovered the brainwashing ability.” His heart still clenched with worry every time he thought about it. “We’re working on tracking them now, but Agent Johnson is a hacker. She knows how the systems work.”

“Keep me up to date on that one,” Talbot ordered more than asked. Coulson chose to let him keep the illusion of control and nodded. “Anything else important?”

Ah. Yes. This.

“Yes, in fact,” Coulson confirmed, and he folded his hands flat on his desk, leaning forward slightly to convey his seriousness. Sure enough, Talbot’s gaze sharpened instantly. Talbot could always be counted on to take things seriously; it almost made Coulson feel bad about messing with him. “We’ve isolated a new kind of metahuman.”

Talbot’s face did a weird spasm thing. Coulson had to consciously try not to laugh.

“Of course you have,” Talbot sighed at last, and Coulson could see the moment where he refrained from reaching up to rub his forehead. “What are their characteristics?”

 _Besides them almost all being tiny children?_ “They’re reincarnations,” Coulson said bluntly, just to see what Talbot would do.

Talbot did not disappoint; he sat straight up, visibly startled. “What?”

“Reincarnations,” Coulson repeated patiently, and then remembered he needed to be serious. His budding smile faded. “They seem to be from an alternate timeline, whose history diverges slightly several thousand years ago, and significantly around two hundred years ago.” He waited for Talbot to regain enough of himself to be paying attention again. “They fought in a war that was being waged in that timeline, with weapons that either already were or have since become parts of their bodies.”

“Explain.” It was almost a growl.

“FRIDAY,” Coulson requested. “Bring up the still images associated with Innocence, please.”

Coulson had had something of a rapport with JARVIS. It made getting along with FRIDAY easier, after she had – without Stark’s initiative, if the man’s delight was anything to go by – integrated herself into SHIELD’s tech. Coulson would be concerned, if Stark weren’t enough of a security nightmare to have done that anyway.

It was easier, in the end, to just take advantage of it.

“Sure thing, Phil,” FRIDAY replied, and a moment later, Coulson’s high-tech desk – courtesy of Stark, who was sometimes useful – projected a number of pictures into the air.

Coulson took a moment to review them himself, though he had done so a thousand times before.

There, near the beginning, were images of Lenalee’s ankles, dating from the time she was an infant to now, when she wasn’t much better. Then there were some of Link’s wrists, some of Yuu’s, some of Lavi’s, of Noise’s, Klaud’s, and Miranda’s, each depicting the exact same set of cross marks. There was a single picture of Allen’s arm, including the back of his hand, where there was a cross that was similar to the others but not quite the same.

There were also a few of Noise and Miranda’s wrists post-activation, with blood-red bangles around them, and then activated, with Miranda’s spinning green-lit disk and Noise’s set of rings, wires extended.

It was a rather impressive array of data, all things considered.

When Coulson let his gaze fall back to Talbot, he found himself surprised all over again.

Talbot’s eyes were almost bulging, a vein jumping in his clenched jaw, and hands dropped from their folded position to clutch at his knees.

“General?” Coulson prodded gingerly.

“I recognize that mark,” Talbot said tightly.

 _I should have known,_ Coulson thought.

Instead of asking right away, Coulson made a beckoning gesture to one of the pictures, and then, carefully, expanded it to show Link’s face as well.

“This was taken six months ago,” he informed Talbot quietly. “Link is my nephew.” He gestured, and the picture returned to its place. Then he started pointing. “Lenalee is the daughter of one of my senior agents. Yuu is the Winter Soldier’s son. Lavi is Tony Stark’s. Allen is the adopted child of Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff. Noise is the younger brother of another agent of mine, Klaud the younger sister of one of my best scientists, and Miranda is the niece of the Avengers liaison.”

When he looked back down, Talbot’s scowl informed him that his empathy was not actually appreciated. It almost made him smile.

“We’re being very careful with them,” Coulson said at last, more quietly. “Given the highly personal nature of their origins. The oldest we’ve located so far has been Klaud Nyne, nineteen. I assure you, General, no matter who they are – they’ll be fine.”

Talbot scowled for a few more moments, growled quietly, obviously conflicted, but finally, he let out a long, frustrated breath, clenched his fists, and said, shortly, “My eldest son.”

…Coulson hadn’t been aware that Talbot had more than one son. He felt this was a significant gap in his intel.

The two of them gazed at each other for a few moments, and finally, Talbot let out another quiet growl.

“I want confirmation,” he said suddenly, roughly. “From one of _them.”_

That was not an overly inspiring initial response, but Coulson nodded anyway.

“Link is over,” he told Talbot. Originally, this had been because it provided an easy way to keep the kids in place while Talbot was here, but it would be good for this also. He palmed his cell phone, a not-quite-concealed weary look creasing the corners of his eyes. “He’s with Allen at the moment, and Allen’s under strict security protocols, but I’ll call Agent Romanoff.”


	47. Deception and the Lack Thereof

Link was a mother hen. A tiny, six-year-old mother hen.

Being that he was in kindergarten now, he wasn’t able to come over very often, but the other kids always loved it when he did. And by ‘the other kids’, Natasha meant Allen.

Lavi, Lenalee, and Yuu all liked Link well enough, but Allen _loved_ him. And no wonder; Link had a tendency to zero in on him and stick close to the much-younger boy for as much time as he could manage. The only way he would leave whatever room Allen occupied was if he was taken.

Natasha did have to wonder how they’d met each other the first time.

Allen, in turn, seemed to feel nearly as secure around Link as he did around, say, Yuu, though not as much as around Steve or Natasha. Natasha found this at once interesting, reassuring, and, at times, amusing.

Like now.

Natasha took a moment to admire the smile on Allen’s face – bright and cheerful, touched with both affection and amusement, silver eyes focused on Link and legs splayed atop the blanket spread across the floor. Link noticed none of this, busy as he was bustling around opening cupboards and pulling things out.

“Child cleanup duty’s been added to the official punishment roster, you know.”

Natasha glanced away from the two children on the floor to Maria, who was seated at the kitchen island, one arm laid casually across the stone, dark eyes crinkled in amusement. In return, Natasha let the corners of her lips turn up in a smile. The coffee machine beeped, and Natasha turned away to pour some out.

“I know,” Natasha replied when she was done, sliding over a cup of coffee before perching on the stool beside Maria, her own cup securely in her hand. “It was my idea.”

A smile flickered across Maria’s face before she redirected her attention to the two children on the floor. As she watched, Link dropped an armful of utensils on the blanket to go with the pots and pans already there, and then knelt in front of Allen, looking very serious and explaining something quietly. Allen was nodding along, the light of amusement still in his eyes and a small grin spread across his face.

“I give Link ten minutes before he decides Allen is hungry,” Maria said to Natasha in an undertone. Natasha didn’t bother hiding another small smile.

“You’re being generous,” Natasha tossed back. “Seven, eight at most.”

“I was rounding,” Maria returned, but she was smiling, too. “They’re adorable together. It’s a shame Link can’t come more often.”

Natasha’s smile faded slightly. “That might change soon,” she judged, voice pitching a little lower. “If _our_ children are at risk… Well, I can’t imagine that the Director’s nephew is a much lower priority.”

Maria’s smile vanished, and she tipped her head toward Natasha in acknowledgement. “He’s had a minor security detail from the day he was born,” Maria told her quietly. “It vanished for a while after SHIELD collapsed, but Coulson put it back up the moment he had the manpower and the authority. Neither Link or his mother know.”

Natasha nodded to herself. That was fair; even before his ‘death’, Coulson had been no small fry. “So if he starts visiting more often,” Natasha concluded, “it’ll be because he lives much closer.”

“Or on base,” Maria agreed, “if he starts to think it’s necessary.”

The unspoken knowledge of the ever-growing influence of HYDRA hovered between them.

Into the silence, Allen said, “Lavi like t’make noise wif th’ pans.”

Link, equally oblivious to the sudden silence, made an aggravated noise. “Lavi’s even more childish than he used to be,” he said petulantly. “I didn’t think that was _possible.”_

Allen giggled, and with that, Natasha was smiling again.

When she glanced over, Maria’s expression had lightened as well.

“You’ve never told me how you get along with Allen,” Natasha commented. Before she’d been made Allen’s godmother, Natasha knew that Maria hadn’t spent much time with him at all, but afterward, Maria had started making a noticeable effort to change that.

Still, things had been busy.

Maria raised an eyebrow at her. “Do you need to be told?” she asked doubtfully.

Not really.

At Natasha’s pointed silence, Maria huffed slightly, but a crinkle of amusement returned to the corners of her eyes. “He’s cute as a button,” Maria said at last. “That’s for sure. He’s nervous around me, I think, but that’s fading.” She tapped the table contemplatively for a moment, and then added, “Miranda thinks very highly of him – him and Lenalee both.”

Natasha considered that, letting her gaze wander back to the two kids for the moment. When she caught what was going on, she almost laughed.

Link was peering contemplatively at Allen, who stared back, tilting his head in confusion. Link bit his lip, nodded to himself, and then stood up decisively.

Natasha glanced at her watch. Six minutes. They’d _both_ underestimated him.

Then her cell phone rang, and Natasha was reaching for it before she’d consciously registered it.

Very few people had her number, and of those, fewer called it for social reasons. All of the Avengers, she calculated, were currently somewhere on base, except for Steve and Bucky, who were out trying to dispose of their own restlessness, and Tony, who was with Pepper on a date.

She glanced at the caller ID. Coulson. Also on base, and currently, as far as she knew, in a Very Important meeting with General Glenn Talbot.

With a flick of her thumb, she answered it, holding it up to her ear. Maria quirked an eyebrow at her in question, and on the ground, the two kids played on, ignoring her.

 _“We’ve found another exorcist,”_ Coulson said as soon as he realized she’d picked up.

Natasha stilled. Maria noticed instantly, a furrow appearing between the other woman’s eyebrows.

“Not Talbot?” she asked doubtfully, trying to remember if she’d ever seen the man’s wrists. As far as she knew, she hadn’t… But he didn’t match the MO at all.

 _“Not Talbot,”_ Coulson confirmed, which just confused Natasha more. _“His eldest son.”_ He gave her a moment to consider that before continuing, _“He wants to speak to… a confirmed exorcist. Would you put Link on the line?”_

Natasha let her eyes flick up, settling briefly on the two boys playing. “I’ll put you on speaker,” she said at last, and, before he could reply, she did as she’d said and placed her phone face-up on the island counter, then slid off her stool to cross into the kitchen.

The boys looked up as she approached, matching expressions of curiosity on their faces. A half-empty cup of applesauce sat beside Allen, courtesy of Link’s fussing, and both of them were wielding utensils in an only vaguely true-to-life manner.

“Mommy?” Allen questioned. “Sometin’ wong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, little angel,” Natasha assured him, crouching down beside them. Link tracked her, brown eyes thoughtful, and, slowly, put his rubber spatula down. She picked up his left hand, absently stroking the back of his hand in what was now a habitual gesture, and let her gaze drift from Allen to Link, though she was speaking to both of them. “Coulson located another exorcist.” Both of their expressions dawned with identical expressions of surprise and unrestrained excitement. “He didn’t mention who, but their father is here and wants to speak to one of you.”

“I will,” Link said instantly, eyes on Natasha, now intent and alert, in sharp contrast to the light contentment of minutes earlier. Allen looked up at her, head tilted curiously and mouth slightly open in wonder, and did not object.

Natasha nodded. “Coulson offered to let you speak, but I thought Allen would like to know who it was as soon as possible.”

Allen smiled at her brightly and nodded in agreement, then lifted his arm in silent request. She smiled down at him and picked him up effortlessly, while Link pushed himself up and scurried over to the other side of the island without waiting for her.

“You’re on speaker,” Maria informed the phone as Link struggled onto the stool beside her, and then up to sit on the edge of the counter. “Link, Natasha, Allen, and myself are present.”

_“Thank you, Natasha, for taking it upon yourself to make this a more public meeting.”_

Coulson’s dry tones never got any less amusing. And of course he knew that it had been her idea.

Natasha seated herself back on her stool and Allen on the counter not far from the phone, with a steady hand held on his back to keep him from falling over and skidding two feet off the counter. “Anytime, Director.”

_“And at least one of you can confirm this… this farce?”_

That wasn’t Coulson’s voice. Natasha raised an eyebrow at the harsh tone, but couldn’t say she didn’t understand.

“Link and Allen are both exorcists, General,” Maria said for Natasha, crisp enough to pass as burnt. “If your boy is one as well, they’ll know.”

 _“You’re certain?”_ Talbot’s voice came clear and suspicious. _“How do you know this isn’t just a game your kids made up? Kids do that all the time, you know.”_

 _“I showed you the pictures, General,”_ Coulson said before either adult on this end could reply. Link had flinched slightly, and Allen had scooted back, away from the phone. _“Noise and Miranda both activated their Innocences, which eliminated any doubt that may have existed before.”_

 _“Doesn’t prove a thing.”_ Talbot’s voice was becoming more aggressive. Allen scooted back further, and then twisted around to give her a wide-eyed, anxious look.

“I never thought you were lying,” she said quietly, reassuring him, starting to move her hand in slow, soothing circles. “Neither of us did.”

Relief flickered quickly across Allen’s face, and then he was distracted again as Link cleared his throat and shifted closer to the phone, leaning over to give it as intent a look as he would if he was face to face with Talbot himself.

“If you have any questions, General, now would be the time to ask.” Polite and professional, though it was clearly an effort, if the look of concentration on Link’s face was anything to go by.

Short silence.

 _“Is there an exorcist called Cross Talbot?”_ Talbot asked at last, voice heavy but still colored with suspicion, with implications Natasha might have been inclined to examine if she weren’t preoccupied by the way Allen had suddenly gone very, very still.

Link’s head had jerked up, wide brown eyes fixing on Allen’s frozen silver. Natasha stilled her hand, gaze sharpening, and Maria suddenly looked much more interested as well.

After a few moments, Link cleared his throat, eyes not leaving Allen’s. “None of us kept our last names,” he told Talbot, voice carefully even. “But there was a Cross Marian. A general.” Then, clearly recalling Talbot’s earlier doubt, “Red hair, brown eyes.” With every word, Allen grew stiffer and Link’s voice grew quieter. “He was probably the most difficult general the Order had.”

Another short silence.

 _“Shit-faced Mother Mary,”_ Talbot said at last, sounding shocked and appalled. Coulson coughed, trying to hide a laugh.

_“General, there are children on the other line.”_

_“I just found out that my kid is a reincarnated general from another timeline, Coulson, and you’re telling me to watch my language?”_

Maria coughed, hiding a laugh in the same way Coulson had. “I should probably go help him,” she said ruefully.

 _“That would be appreciated, Agent Hill,”_ Coulson agreed, matching her tone. _“We didn’t get very far in the explanation before he, ah, revealed his son’s existence.”_

“Oh, so you’re dragging me in for the bad part,” Maria complained, sliding off the stool nonetheless. “Thank you, really. Thank you.”

 _“What’s the bad part?”_ Talbot demanded, and was cut off as Natasha unsympathetically hung up. She nodded to Maria, who grimaced back, and then looked back to the two children as the other woman took off out the door at a brisk walk.

Link scooted closer to Allen, brown eyes worried. “Allen?” he prodded gingerly. “Are you okay?”

Allen took a deep breath and nodded, but he also curled in on himself, setting his chin on his knees, silver eyes worried. Natasha studied him for a moment, and then blew out a short, soft sigh.

“I take it you know Cross,” she commented quietly.

“Mm-hm,” Allen mumbled, studying the counter in front of him to avoid all of their gazes.

Natasha concluded that she was getting nothing more from Allen and glanced inquisitively at Link, who finally stopped trying to will Allen into good health by the power of his eyes alone and looked at her instead.

“General Cross was Allen’s master,” Link explained, and at Natasha’s suddenly sharper look, added, “He found Allen after, um…” He shot Allen a worried look. “Well, when he was ten. And he taught him how to fight akuma.”

Link was not good at hiding information, Natasha noted, and tucked away the question as something to ask later. It was clearly a sensitive subject for Allen.

Allen had a lot of those.

“Were you close?” she asked Allen, and Allen shrugged. Allen was not helpful. Allen also looked miserable and pensive, so she supposed she could cut him some slack; she moved him off the counter and into her lap, and he curled into her, clearly seeking security.

“They had a really weird relationship,” Link provided, since Allen was clearly not talking. “I don’t think even they could’ve put a name to it.” Then, with complete confidence, “But they _were_ close.”

Natasha looked thoughtfully down at Allen and decided that she could learn a lot about him by talking to Cross Talbot.

* * *

It took under two hours to decide to bring Cross onto the base to, for the most part, explain himself.

It took another six hours after that to actually get him there, leading to Talbot staying far past the intended end of the meeting; it was getting to be dark by the time Cross was due to arrive.

The standard touchdown point wasn’t far from the Playground - within walking distance. When it came time for Mack to touch down, Coulson, with General Talbot in tow, headed to a location on the edge of the safe zone, waiting patiently.

Coulson had his mechanical hand casually in his pocket, and the other hanging loosely at his side. General Talbot had placed himself a few feet in front of him; his expression was stony, save his eyes, which were dark with frustrated disapproval.

Finally, the Quinjet emerged into view and landed with a roar of the propulsion system. Talbot’s gaze hardened to steel-like intensity, and Coulson heard him take a deep, harsh breath.

Both of them were watching when the door swung open. Mack emerged first, and then turned around and gestured impatiently. Coulson waited. Mack gave up and descended the ramp.

Cross Talbot, Coulson learned, had long, violently red hair, barely tamed. Most of it was pulled back in a ponytail, leaving just enough to conceal the majority of the right side of his face This came as a blatant shock to Coulson, who immediately began revising his assumptions about the former General Cross.

Mack noticed them quickly and started to lead Cross toward them, or at least attempt to - Cross took his time following, lingering over the steps in a manner Coulson would have termed obnoxious if it were any less graceful. Mack’s irritated expression suggested that Cross had been at this since he’d been collected.

As he approached, though, Cross’ bored expression started to turn apprehensive, and then resigned. Coulson could almost see him bracing himself.

Finally, the pair reached them. Mack met Coulson’s eyes, raising his eyebrows slightly in question, radiating annoyance; Coulson decided he owed the man big for this and inclined his head slightly. Mack nodded once and, without another word, left. If he had been less mature, he might have bumped Coulson roughly as he passed. Cross, on the other hand, planted himself about two yards in front of them, arms crossed, expression resigned save for a trace of challenge in his eyes.

For a moment, no one spoke. Talbot stared at his son as if seeing him for the first time, a flurry of unreadable emotions flashing across his face. Discomfort asserted itself in Cross’ expression, and his eyes flicked away for a split second before returning with renewed defiance.

“What’s new, old man?” he asked, voice lilting with challenge. Coulson predicted loud voices in the immediate future and considered plugging his ears.

Sure enough, Talbot drew himself up, practically swelling with the force of his anger.

“What’s new?” Talbot repeated, voice caught somewhere between a hiss and a snarl. “I find out you’ve been _lying_ to me since the day you were born, and you ask- _what’s new?”_

Cross tilted his head slightly to one side, his whole body shifting in a way that screamed attitude. The corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. “Well, I thought I’d make sure you remembered. Man gets old enough, his memory starts going, you know.”

If Cross had always been like this, Coulson was a little surprised he and Talbot hadn’t killed each other yet.

“This isn’t _funny,”_ Talbot hissed, looking aggravated out of his mind already. “I had to find out from SHIELD, Cross, _SHIELD!_ An organization that _never tells anyone anything!”_

“Yeah, about that.” Cross’ smile vanished, and Coulson noted with interest that he suddenly seemed much more dangerous. His arms shifted around without uncrossing, and Coulson’s eyes flicked to Cross’ wrists, which he suddenly realized held the red bracelets of an activated Innocence. “Which idiot spilled the beans to a former terrorist organization?”

“We first found out from Lenalee May, the daughter of one of my senior agents,” Coulson provided mildly, watching Cross as Talbot ground his teeth. “Your father, however, found out about you from speaking to my nephew, Link Coulson.”

Cross made a sound of disgust. “Of course,” he muttered, and somehow gave the impression of standing down without moving at all.

Coulson ignored the flash of protectiveness that reared up at Cross’ tone and added, “However, somehow I don’t think they’re the ones you’d be interested in speaking to.”

Talbot – who hadn’t been permitted contact with any of the child exorcists and who had never been filled in on Allen’s reaction – gave him a searing glare for the blatant interference, but Cross’ gaze sharpened, flashing to meet Coulson’s.

“I believe you knew him as Allen Walker?” Coulson prompted, keeping a careful eye on Cross’ reaction. He did not disappoint.

First he flinched back, a minute movement Coulson barely caught. His eyes widened, surprise and something like alarm making themselves known, and his arms unfolded, falling open-palmed to his sides.

Then the shock resolved itself into a strange light in his eyes; after a moment, Coulson identified it as warmth and approval. His smirk faded into a smile, and he relaxed, the warmth in his eyes translating into a faint fondness that made itself known all over his face. A quick glance told Coulson that Talbot hadn’t missed this – that the general was, in fact, studying his son intently, brow furrowed and eyes sharp.

Finally, Cross’ expression cleared mostly, if not completely, and the smirk was back. “Allen Walker, huh?” he mused. “That still his name?”

Coulson shook his head. “Allen Rogers-Romanoff, now,” he told Cross.

Cross snorted, shaking his head in apparent disgust. “Of course,” he muttered. “It fucking figures.” And then, without preamble or hesitation, “I need to speak with him.”

Cross Marian, Coulson noted, had been a man used to being obeyed, and Cross Talbot definitely carried echoes of that. He wondered what he’d been like as a child.

Unruly, he suspected, with another glance at Talbot.

“He’s on strict security protocols following a recent encounter with HYDRA,” Coulson told Cross. The man narrowed his eyes, and Coulson continued, “Luckily, exorcists are automatically cleared for visits.” There had been some debates about the safety of that, but it had been agreed upon eventually. “You can go now, if you like.”

Coulson smiled. After a moment, Cross caught on, glanced at his father, and smirked, brown eyes glittering with amusement.

Talbot looked aggravated. “Fine!” he snapped after a long pause, looking like it cost him a leg to say that.

Coulson felt no shame about leaving Talbot in the metaphorical dust. Actually, he was rather looking forward to the first encounter of Allen, Natasha, and Cross Talbot.

* * *

Inside the base, Coulson directed Cross to where he knew Natasha, Allen, and Link were currently situated – the senior staff lounge, as it happened – before taking himself and Talbot to his office.

“What business do you think you have interfering?” Talbot hissed at Coulson as soon as Cross was out of earshot. “I know you think everything to do with metahumans is under your _sole_ authority, Coulson, but this is a _goddamn family matter.”_

Coulson cast Talbot a mild look, tapped the screen built into his desk a few times, and brought up a video feed of the senior staff lounge, projected against the opposite wall. Link and Allen were both splayed on the ground, crayons scattered haphazardly around them, and Natasha sat neatly cross-legged beside them, speaking quietly and inaudibly, possibly to Allen, who was looking up at her, crayon held loose and forgotten in his right hand. Link wasn’t coloring either, looking at Natasha with obvious worry.

“Current security protocols don’t allow in-person contact with uncleared personnel,” Coulson told Talbot without looking at him, instead keeping his eyes on the projection. “But I thought you’d like to meet your son’s old apprentice.”

Talbot gave Coulson another narrow-eyed, discerning look. “Apprentice?” he asked, voice quiet and sharp.

Coulson quirked an eyebrow, and Talbot scowled but didn’t say anything further, which Coulson took as a go-ahead. A few more taps brought the room’s audio feed into play.

 _“-ight to be disappointed in you one way or another,”_ came Natasha’s voice over the room’s speakers. _“You’ve been dealing with everything admirably, little angel, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”_

Allen stuck the crayon in his mouth and bit it nervously. At the same time, Link and Natasha reached for it, but it was Natasha who Allen wound up reluctantly surrendering it to.

 _“Haf no’,”_ Allen mumbled disconsolately. _“Been too scawed. Cwied too mu’.”_ He wrinkled his nose unhappily. _“Been stupi’.”_

 _“You’ve been a child,”_ Natasha corrected, and Link nodded in agreement.

“Allen certainly seems to care a lot about what your son thinks,” Coulson commented.

“How do you know they’re talking about Cross?” Talbot muttered irritably, but he hadn’t taken his eyes off the screen.

Almost right on cue, Cross arrived.

Natasha noticed first, of course; she tilted her head up to take in the newcomer, eyes flicking over his hair and his wrists in one quick motion, and then she looked down to Allen, who had by that time also noticed the new arrival and was staring at him with wide eyes.

There were a few different cameras in the lounge, providing a few different angles of visibility. Coulson quickly brought up a few more, and caught the slight, unmistakable smile on Cross’ face before he moved forward, crossing from the doorway to the group clustered on the floor.

He zeroed in on Allen first, but then, to Coulson’s surprise, shifted his attention onto… Natasha. Beside him, he heard a clap, and glanced over to see that Talbot had… facepalmed. That was definitely a facepalm.

“Cross,” Talbot muttered, in a low growl.

Coulson decided that Talbot was not going to give him answers and shifted his gaze back to the screen, where Cross was eying Natasha with obvious, if somewhat exaggerated, appreciation.

Ah.

_“Damn, sleeping with you might be worth getting eaten, Widow.”_

Behind Natasha, Coulson saw Allen’s eyes round, and internally winced.

 _“Slow down, stud, you wouldn’t get that far,”_ Natasha shot back without missing a beat.

 _“Willing to bet on that?”_ Cross smirked. Coulson wondered if he knew he was playing with fire. He seemed the type to enjoy it.

 _“Are you?”_ Natasha countered. _“Better men than you have tried,_ General.”

Cross leered. _“Those men weren’t me.”_

At that point, Allen seemed to have had enough, because he turned to Link, looking genuinely distressed, and tugged on his sleeve. Link looked at him, apparently discerned what he wanted, and got over his bright pink blush to clear his throat and call out, attracting Cross’ attention,

_“You should probably stop flirting with Allen’s mom if you want all your parts to stay in place.”_

Coulson tried not to find it disturbing that two children under six knew what was happening here. He failed.

Coulson saw Cross mouth ‘Rogers-Romanoff’ and then scowl. His brown eyes landed on Allen, whose fingers were still clinging to Link’s sleeve, equal parts trepidation and longing in his silver eyes. Natasha’s gaze turned sharp in a way it hadn’t the entire time Cross was pretending to seriously try to chat her up, but she made no move to interfere.

 _“Goddammit, brat,”_ Cross muttered, and then knelt in front of Allen, his flirtatious demeanor slipping off like a snake’s old skin. Instead, he looked almost solemn, with a critical glint just behind it. Allen released Link’s sleeve, and the older boy backed off, but kept a mildly mistrustful eye on Cross. Cross sighed, and then smirked. _“You got even smaller, tiny apprentice.”_

Allen didn’t seem perturbed by this. Instead, he gazed at Cross for a few moments longer, trepidation not fading away, and then, hesitantly, reached out with his right hand to grab onto the material of Cross’ shirt.

Cross’ smirk vanished again, and he sighed. In one smooth motion, he picked Allen up, shifting to hold him in one arm. Allen’s head landed on his shoulder, and for a few moments, they stared at each other, each as unreadable as the other.

 _“You don’t smell like alcohol,”_ Allen said at last, keeping his voice low.

“Cross hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol since he was seventeen,” Talbot said, seemingly on reflex, brow furrowed.

Coulson raised an eyebrow. “You let him touch it _before_ he was seventeen?” he asked, bemused.

“Shut up, Coulson.” Talbot was, understandably, not in the mood for games.

Cross nearly dropped Allen, he was so indignant, and Natasha, keeping quiet and inconspicuous in the background, stifled a smile, relaxing as she presumably came to the conclusion that they were, would be, fine.

 _“Stupid apprentice, that’s the first thing you say to me after so long?”_ he complained, scowling at Allen. Allen flinched slightly, and then just shrugged and squirmed away, returning to the floor, and Coulson saw Cross’ eyes narrow.

Natasha broke in here, though she chose to crouch as opposed to sitting on the ground as she normally would. Her gaze was steady as she reached down to place a hand on Allen’s shoulder, silently comforting, and said to Cross, _“I take it you’re Cross Talbot.”_

 _“That’s me,”_ Cross agreed, studying her in a way that told Coulson he took Natasha far more seriously than his initial reaction would have suggested. Which was a relief. It would have been a shame to lose an exorcist so soon after he appeared. _“Black Widow, right? So you’re where the brat wound up.”_

 _“We adopted him,”_ Natasha said in a tone only vaguely suggestive of agreement, and Cross’ brow furrowed. _“I understand you took care of him previously.”_

 _“For a given definition of took care of,”_ Cross confirmed, a hint of derision in his tone, directed more at himself than at her.

 _“It’s good to see you again, Master,”_ Allen said at last, abruptly, derailing the conversation. His eyes were on Cross, his expression still apprehensive but somehow softer.

Cross looked startled, but it only lasted for a second before the former general wiped it away, replacing it with a slight smirk. _“Yeah, yeah.”_ Quieter, _“It’s good to know I didn’t do some weird crap thing that got me damned to this.”_ Smirk. _“At least not all by myself.”_

Allen giggled reluctantly, Link hid a chuckle, and even Natasha let a small, amused smile cross her lips, eyes flicking briefly to each of the other occupants of the room.

“Alright, that’s e-fucking-nough,” Talbot decided, to Coulson’s utter lack of surprise. “Coulson, either tell Cross to get his ass out here or I’m storming in there myself.”

Coulson tilted his head in acknowledgement and reached down to inform Natasha of Talbot’s… request.

* * *

The entire time he was waiting for his son, alone in an abandoned room, General Talbot was steaming; his temporary confusion and the surprise of his observations wore away in the face of the idea that _his son_ had _kept this from him -_ for forty-one years.

Talbot had never understood his oldest son; their difficulties with Cross had been one of the reasons he and his wife had waited so long before having another child. The fact that he had somehow, inexplicably, gained the man’s (unusual brand of) respect in the end had little bearing on this.

Knowing that Cross had once been much older certainly explained… if not all of it, then a fair amount.

And Talbot would have appreciated knowing it _much, much sooner._

The moment Cross arrived, the _moment_ he closed the door behind him, Talbot planned to start talking- and hell, he’d been careful, very careful, about yelling at Cross, because it never ended well, but _damn it-_

Except Cross, of course, didn’t care what he’d had planned. He never did. So even _before_ the door was closed, Cross was talking. About an issue that Talbot had passed over entirely, and, apparently, should not have.

“What the fuck is wrong with Allen?” Cross demanded, half of Talbot and half of the air, looking as infuriated as Talbot had ever seen him. He was pacing restlessly, back and forth across the room, one hand pulling irately at the roots of his hair and the other swiping at his pocket. “Why didn’t he fucking yell at me? Why is he so damn _shy?_ Why did he fucking _flinch_ when I spoke to him, goddammit, _who-”_

He spun on his heel and faced Talbot, and then he paused, eyes focused on Talbot’s face. Then he let out a low, harsh breath and crossed his arms, actually stopping in the middle of his rant, though the simmering frustration didn’t leave.

Talbot would take what he could get. He was, in all honesty, tired. And also too old for this. He was too old to learn that his most difficult son was not who he thought he was, that reincarnation was even a thing that happened, too old to learn that Cross had had, if not a son, then _something like one_ before Talbot had ever known him, and was still just as drastically unprepared to deal with the problems associated as Talbot had ever felt with Cross.

“You never said anything,” he said at last, and though he hadn’t intended it, some of his frustration and his exhaustion leaked into his voice.

Cross huffed quietly and actually _looked away,_ a faint scowl twisting his mouth. He patted his pocket again, and the tension drained out of him as his attention was diverted to a different, apparently less aggravating issue.

“When I died,” he said at last, without looking at Talbot, “I was fifty-eight years old.” His scowl deepened. “That’s nearly as old as you are now. When I was born- Hell, I’d been _older_ than you.”

Talbot’s frown deepened into a scowl of his own. “All your authority issues?”

Cross snorted, scowl morphing briefly into a bitter smirk. “Fuck, no, I’ve had authority issues for as long as I’ve been alive.” The smirk vanished, and he lifted his head to look at Talbot again. “No, I just hated that I had all of my hard-won independence stripped from me. Going from a sixty year old former general with no obligations, to a tiny kid with two strict parents? Hard pill to swallow.” He snorted. “I took it out on you, and I’m not apologizing.”

Talbot hadn’t really expected him to. “Does this make you nearly a hundred years old?” he asked bluntly. (He was tired of the bullshit, too.)

Cross laughed. Talbot didn’t think it was funny.

“Fuck, probably not. Sure doesn’t feel like it.” He glanced at Talbot, smirking slightly. “I’ve always acted more or less the age I was, right?” Talbot nodded shortly; he would’ve noticed a sixty-year-old toddler, that was for damn sure. “Most of that wasn’t acting. Same principle will probably apply right up until I’m done playing catch-up, I think, and by then, it really won’t be your problem anymore, old man.”

Talbot refrained from rolling his eyes at Cross’ dark humor and moved on to the next point of contention. “The kid?”

Cross’ smirk vanished, and the look in his eyes, more than anything, made Talbot metaphorically sit up and take notice; even knowing what he’d learned today, in his view, Cross was still his son, and nothing was going to stop Talbot from worrying about him.

After far too long a pause, Cross shrugged. “Allen Walker - my old apprentice. It’d be too much of a stretch to say I raised him, but I picked him up when he was ten, after his father died, and kept him around for the five years following.”

“Sometimes that’s enough,” Talbot said without thinking. “He certainly seemed worried about what you’d think of him.”

“What?” Cross’ brow furrowed with genuine confusion. “What the fuck is that brat talking about this time?”

This time, Talbot had to work to keep his face straight; even so, the corner of his mouth twitched at Cross’ expression. “He seemed very sure you’d be disappointed in him, because of how weak he’d been.”

“What the-” Cross made an aggravated sound and slammed his palm into his forehead, scowling. Talbot tried not to take too much joy from it. “That’s it, I’m never going to fucking understand that brat.”

Talbot’s lips twitched briefly into a smirk. “He’s wrong, then?”

 _“Yes!”_ Cross growled irately, casting him a scowl for his amusement. “I’m not disappointed, I’m fucking _pissed!_ What’s with this… this goddamn _shyness?”_

Talbot shrugged. “So he’s a little delicate. He’ll outgrow it.”

“That’s _the fucking problem.”_ Cross whirled on Talbot again, eyes blazing, fists clenched so tight they almost shook. “He’s _not fucking delicate._ He has _never_ been delicate. He’s the _strongest goddamn kid_ I know, and this-” He stopped, but the frustration didn’t leave his eyes; he’d run out of words and just ground his teeth angrily.

“It makes you sick,” Talbot finished, smile gone as his mind worked. Cross growled.

“You _bet your ass_ it does.”

“Are you planning to do something about it?” Talbot prompted. Cross cast him a brief scowl again.

“Nothing you can help with, old man. But…” Cross looked away, crossed his arms, and frowned. “I… have a few ideas. I may not be the brat’s father or anything like that, but I know what makes him tick. But dammit, I shouldn’t _need_ to.”

Well, Talbot wished him luck with that, because he honestly couldn’t see what Cross did in Allen.

Talbot smirked, rubbing his fingers over the short, coarse hair on his head. “You know, I was looking forward to seeing you become a father, but I didn’t think it’d be like this.”

“If you’re cracking jokes about it, you can’t be that pissed,” grumbled Cross.

“I’ve had a few hours to get used to it,” Talbot said dryly. “But _you_ can tell your mother.”

 _“Goddammit,_ don’t even joke about that,” Cross scowled.

“Who said I was joking?” Talbot’s smile suddenly vanished. “One more question.” Talbot turned his head to Cross and raised an eyebrow, letting his head dip down interrogatively. When he was sure he had his son’s attention, he quoted, “‘You don’t smell like alcohol’?”

Cross scowled again, and it was dark and forbidding this time. “Well, fuck, old man. If you want me to get into that, I’ll start talking about each and every thing that _sucked fucking ass._ And hell if I’m going to do that.” He jerked his head away sharply. “Boils down to just your regular story anyway - everything sucked, I turned to drink, and then I _never fucking bothered_ to stop.”

All things considered, Talbot was glad that Cross had turned out as well as he had.

And older than him or not, Talbot was proud of him.


	48. Stubborn Little Bastards

After Talbot’s issues got all cleared up, and Cross had thoroughly destroyed his image as a devil-may-care asshole by worrying about his apprentice, the two of them split up again. Talbot went back to Coulson’s office to finish off his long-delayed meeting, and Cross went to stare at his apprentice and hope he got better without intervention within the next few hours.

He wasn’t really betting on it, though. When Allen went down, he went down _hard._

When he got back, Link was gone, but there was a new blond man around, and it took Cross a moment to recognize him.

Captain fucking America.

Now, Cross was the first to admit that Captain America seemed like the epitome of everything that was good and wholesome in the world; it was a little sickening. Cross certainly couldn’t imagine what would possess a guy to hold himself to a moral standard like that – God knew Cross wouldn’t even try.

On the other hand, Cross was more familiar with the fact that things weren’t always as they appeared. The Black Order had practically _embodied_ the concept, and so had Allen. Did Allen.

(It was still hard to believe that Cross wasn’t alone.)

More to the point, though, Cross didn’t believe for a moment that Steve Grant Rogers was the boy scout he appeared on television. At least not completely.

And Allen had the goddamn _worst_ history with male guardians.

Cross took a moment, hovering in the doorway, brow furrowed as he examined the little family in the headquarters lounge.

Natasha was still on the couch, leaning on the arm with a small smile and a fond look in her eyes. Steve was seated beside her, and Allen was on his lap. Cross couldn’t see the man’s expression, the way his head was turned, but he could see his apprentice’s, and Allen was beaming, silver eyes sparkling with adoration.

On the other hand, Allen had been happy with Mana, too. Look how that turned out.

“-tells me you found another old friend?” Steve was saying to Allen, tone light and warm.

If Allen nodded any faster, his head was going to fall off. “Yeah!” And then, clearly reconsidering, he corrected, “Kinda. It Mastew.”

“Huh?” Steve asked, clearly confused and a little alarmed.

Natasha nudged Steve. “General Cross,” she explained, tone clipped and neutral. Allen tilted his head, smile fading into a look of worry. “Allen’s guardian after he was ten, as I understand.” Allen bobbed his head, smiling again.

“Oh!” Steve exclaimed, and Cross’ eyes narrowed at his tone, fraught with hidden strain and worry that hadn’t been there before, no matter how excited he tried to sound. “You must be happy about that.”

Allen beamed and nodded, and then finally looked up and spotted Cross – the brat must be slipping – and his eyes brightened. (The fuck, the brat was _happy to see him.)_ “Mastew!” he called out, waving his right hand. Cross hadn’t seen him move his left hand yet; it must be paralyzed again.

Cross gave up his hiding spot as a bad job and moved into the room. Natasha looked up at him, apparently unsurprised, and Steve twisted around, apparently surprised.

He saw the up-down look Steve gave him, read the blond man’s expression, and in return, let his lips curl into a small smirk.

Well, if Cross had to judge Steve’s character – and he did, unfortunately – he supposed that acting as a threat to his and Allen’s relationship was as good a way as any.

“Stupid apprentice, I haven’t been gone twenty minutes,” he said instead of addressing Steve or Natasha, keeping his expression casual and his eyes on his apprentice.

Allen laughed and looked at Steve, tugging at his shirt with tiny fingers. “Daddy! Look!”

Fucking _Daddy._ What the fuck. Allen hadn’t even called _Mana_ ‘Dad’.

Cross reminded himself that Allen was not a piece of goddamn property, and if there was one thing Cross had proved over his last lifetime, it was that he was definitely not a suitable guardian for anyone.

“I’m looking,” Steve told Allen, smiling down at him and not looking at Cross. The corner of his grin looked strained, Cross noted, and knew that if he noticed, Allen would have, too.

“Daddy!” Allen protested, and tugged at Steve more determinedly this time.

Natasha raised her eyebrows at her husband, and Steve gave her the strained smile in return. For his trouble, Natasha gave him an unimpressed look, and Steve’s smile turned apologetic before he stood up, Allen still tucked against him, and turned to Cross.

“Good evening, General,” Steve greeted, perfectly polite, and juggled Allen around until he could hold his hand out. “I’m Steve, Allen’s father.”

Cross gave Steve the same up-down look Steve had given him, but kept his smirk up and didn’t move to shake Steve’s hand. “Hey,” he replied casually. “I’m Cross. Allen’s my apprentice.”

Allen was frowning at him because he knew Cross, and knew when he was messing with someone on purpose. But he didn’t move to do anything about it either, which was unlike him.

After a moment, Steve’s smile turned terse and resigned, and he drew his hand back, using it to help support Allen. “Why don’t you sit down? I’m sure Natasha and I would love to talk to you for a while. You raised Allen last time, didn’t you?”

Cross, without a word, flopped down on the armchair and propped his feet up on the table, crossing his arms and continued smirking at Steve, who paused briefly to shoot Natasha a pained look.

Cross liked Natasha’s unimpressed face. It was a shame she could gut him with her pinky finger and read all of his secrets in his face, because that made Cross deeply uncomfortable no matter how impressed he was.

“Since he was ten,” Cross agreed, keeping most of his attention on Steve. Allen had set his head on his father’s shoulder, but his eyes were on Cross, no longer smiling. “How long’s it been since you adopted him?”

“A little under a year,” Natasha answered for Steve, leaning forward, not smiling but not as obviously uncomfortable as Steve.

“How’s that going for you?” Cross asked, leaning forward right back (and wondering at the wisdom of engaging in mind games with the Black Widow and the man who’d chosen to marry her). “The brat’s never been an easy kid. Willful little brat.”

Allen flinched and his head shot up to look anxiously at Steve. Steve curled his hand lightly around the back of Allen’s neck, either a reassuring gesture or a threatening one in disguise, and replied sternly,

“Allen’s no trouble at all.”

 _Denial._ Cross almost pitied him.

Natasha broke in smoothly, “We’re still getting used to each other, of course, especially given that we don’t know as much about him as much as we’d like to. It’s nothing time and effort won’t fix.”

“Good luck,” Cross told her, perfectly honest for once. “He hates talking about himself.”

A flicker of a thoughtful look, scarcely more material than a flash across her eyes. Cross knew he liked her.

“We’ll manage,” Steve replied, with a smile that was still strained at the corners and dark in the eyes.

The conversation might have gone on like that, but then people started showing up.

Right. Cross still had people to greet.

First was Lenalee, now a little girl with wide eyes that nonetheless took in everything, who came with a woman with a stern face that might well compete with Nyne’s and the Scarlet Witch. She came up to him, squeezed his knee in a grip that would have hurt if she was older, and then smiled and said, “It good t’see you ‘gain.”

Then Lavi came with Tony Stark (how the fuck had the kids all ended up in these families they ended up in) and grinned at him brightly. “General Cross, your parents didn’t kill you!” was his greeting of choice.

Little brat.

And then Kanda came in, and Cross had to actively fight not to crack up at the sight of fearsome, glaring Kanda Yuu as a scowling five-year-old. Kanda didn’t even say hello, he just tossed him a disgusted look and then went to hover suspiciously over Allen, like he thought that Cross would snatch him up and run away with him.

Cross realized he’d missed these kids. How annoying.

* * *

Cross wound up staying overnight, because why not. The place where the Avengers were living had, as it turned out, about a thousand extra rooms, because _why not._

Staying culminated in him sitting with Natasha and Pepper in the Avengers living room, watching the kids – just Allen, Lavi, and Yuu at the moment – play.

He thought he’d left this kid-watching shit behind when he sent Allen to the Order. Not that Allen had ever really needed watching, given how long he’d had to watch _himself._

Not to mention he was hanging out with two beautiful women, and he wasn’t allowed to flirt with either of them. Life was just unfair sometimes. What had Cross ever done to deserve this?

It was hilarious, though, to watch the three kids run round playing tag, given that Lavi and Yuu were each nearly half again Allen’s height. It would be _more_ hilarious if Allen were playing dirty like he normally did when this badly disadvantaged, but Cross would take what he could get.

As he watched, Allen tripped and fell down and pouted for a moment, and Lavi jumped over him and tackled Yuu to the ground, while Yuu let out an irate, wordless yell.

“Tag, you’re it!” Lavi crowed.

“Ow, you stupid rabbit!” Yuu snapped, and then rolled over to tag giggling Allen. “You’re it, tiny sprout.”

Allen pouted at him, and then got up and chased after Lavi, who ran away, laughing.

“They’re taking it easy on the brat,” Cross remarked. As he watched, Lavi stumbled dramatically, and Allen swiped forward to tag him gleefully.

“Allen has a name,” Natasha said mildly. Cross waved his hand dismissively.

“He knows I don’t mean anything by it,” he said unconcernedly, ignoring the set of Natasha’s mouth. He was _pretty_ sure she wouldn’t kill him.

“He’s two years old,” Pepper added, glancing at Cross. “They’re just evening the odds a little, so that it’s fun for all of them.”

Cross snorted, because he didn’t feel that idea deserved proper acknowledgement.

“Allen doesn’t have the capabilities he used to,” Natasha added, tilting her head slightly to study him. “So he’s had to compromise a little. He’ll grow up.”

“Does he have time?” Cross challenged, because the brat had terrible luck; surely _something_ had happened.

Natasha’s lips tightened slightly. “If he doesn’t, we’ll _make_ time for him.”

“So something did happen,” Cross pushed, quirking an eyebrow up. Natasha mirrored the expression, but it was Pepper who broke the stalemate.

“An incident with HYDRA,” Pepper explained, her mouth tight in a different way from Natasha’s. Her eyes flicked briefly to Lavi, flecked with worry. “A few weeks ago now. Bobbi and Hunter – the two agents with them at the time – both got hurt, and Lenalee almost got kidnapped. Allen, I understand, dealt with it rather badly.” She shot Cross a reassuring look. “He’s fine now, of course.”

Cross ignored that last comment, because it was obviously, _blatantly,_ untrue, and frowned.

So it sounded like it was a little worse than Cross had thought, and it _definitely_ wasn’t going to solve itself.

Fucking fantastic.

In a split second, he made a decision and looked at Natasha, smoothing his expression over until it resolved into, ugh, seriousness. In return, Natasha’s gaze sharpened, her attention turning onto him fully.

“You know,” he started, keeping his voice even but light, “Allen was in pretty bad shape when I first met him.”

He saw Natasha consider that and briefly wondered if Allen would have given her enough information to figure out that particular sequence of events – at least, part of it.

“I can’t imagine,” Natasha returned, gaze unwavering even as her eyes darkened. “Given the events preceeding that.”

Huh. That was a yes, then. Assuming she wasn’t bluffing.

“He’s not a hard kid to deal with,” Cross continued, “once you learn how he ticks.”

He watched Natasha tilt her head slightly, regarding him, considering his words. Pepper sat back and watched quietly, eyes flicking between them, catching not quite all of the subtext but intrigued nonetheless.

“I’m sure Steve and I will get to know him quite well soon,” she said carefully.

“Soon enough?” Cross countered.

Natasha looked at him. And then the corner of her mouth curled into a small, self-incriminating smile. “A little help wouldn’t go unappreciated,” she allowed. “We’ve been worried.”

Cross granted her a near-mocking half salute. “The kid is worrying.” And then, “He doesn’t much like being worried about, though.”

Natasha’s smile vanished. “Fifteen minutes,” she ordered.

“I can do fifteen minutes,” Cross told her, and stood up.

Allen, fallen over again, looked up quizzically as he approached, and Yuu scowled at him accusingly, which was more hilariously adorable than menacing now. (Not that Cross had found it especially menacing before, either.) Lavi just tilted his head and gave him what looked like a toddler version of the Bookman Look, and then edged aside.

Ugh. Bookmen were so troublesome. Even when they were being helpful.

“Hey, brat,” Cross called out, and watched with disapproval as Allen winced and ducked his head. “I want to talk to you. Get your ass over here.”

He could feel Natasha’s gaze burning into his back. Probably he would be punished for that later.

He’d cross that bridge when he came to it.

Regardless, that got Allen to stand up and shuffle over to him, head down and his right hand holding his left arm to his chest. He led the little brat into the empty hallway and down into an empty room, and Allen followed silently.

Geez, Talbot hadn’t been kidding about Allen worrying about what he’d think, had he? What the fuck.

Cross shut the door behind him but didn’t lock it, satisfied with the knowledge that Allen would, in his present state, have trouble just _opening_ the door, letting alone making an effective escape

In the approximate center of the room, Allen was fidgeting nervously, shifting restlessly from foot to foot in a sort of full-body wriggle motion. His cheeks were flushed with anxiety, and Cross could make out the threat of tears in the toddler’s eyes, which made him deeply uncomfortable.

Cross took a deep breath, counted up his previous life’s offenses to a conclusion of ‘I probably deserve this’, and started,

“I heard your lady friend almost got kidnapped a couple weeks ago.”

He heard Allen make a soft, dying noise.

“Yeah,” Allen whispered, sounding tiny and pathetic and upset all over again.

“And the Bookman brat and Kanda didn’t get hurt,” Cross continued, “but you just fell to goddamn pieces.” He let his expression turn stony, though Allen wasn’t looking at him.

Allen swallowed. “Sowwy,” he whispered, almost too quiet to hear. “Sowwy.”

“Sorry won’t help your friends,” Cross countered ruthlessly, and Allen flinched. “Isn’t that all you want out of life, brat? To help your friends?”

Allen jerked his head up, and Cross caught a glimpse of wide, tear-filled, frightened grey eyes before Allen turned his head away again, breath hitching, hands trembling.

“Everything you’ve done since you met them,” Cross forged on, ignoring the fact that Allen was no longer responding, “was _for_ them, you little idiot. I thought they were what made everything worth it. Isn’t that what you said? _Allen?”_

Allen bobbed his head once, still looking to the side, away from Cross. Cross caught the glimmer of tears on his cheeks, but he still stayed silent.

“Because God knows nothing was going to help _you_ be worth it,” Cross pushed, deciding to shift gears. “Your luck is shit. I’m surprised you’re still alive, honestly.”

Allen curled in on himself, which was more or less what Cross had expected. “Stop,” he whispered, soft and miserable, and it took more than Cross wanted to admit to keep his expression stony. “I sowwy.”

“Though,” Cross continued thoughtfully, “you keep on like this, you might not live much longer.” He tilted his head and smiled cruelly, showing too many teeth. “Not that I think you’d mind.”

He heard Allen let out a soft, breathy whine. Cross dearly hoped that wasn’t going to lead to crying, because he could see tears pouring down Allen’s face already and he did not sign up for that.

“Stop, stop, stop,” Allen chanted, high and desperate.

“I’d say you were better off before,” Cross added. “Guess Cosimo was good for something after all.”

Allen stiffened, and that was the only warning Cross had before Allen’s head shot up, his face still flushed and wet, but silver eyes shot through with something else than fear. “Shu’ up,” he said quietly.

“What are you going to do?” Cross asked mockingly. “Cry on me? I’ll live.”

Allen’s fist clenched. “Shu’ up,” he repeated.

“Maybe you’ll get your friends to make me,” Cross baited. “Or your _daddy;_ I bet he’d love the chance.”

Stiffen. Allen looked like a little loaded spring now, and Cross couldn’t see his expression anymore, but he’d bet the brat didn’t look so scared anymore.

“Fuck knows you won’t both-”

Allen screamed, which was unexpected and made Cross flinch in surprise. Then his head jerked up, and he fixed Cross with a searing glare through tear-filled eyes.

“Shu’ up!” he spat. “I hate you! You a jewk! I don’ cawe wha’ you tink! I _will_ do it, an’ you can’ ‘top me! You can’! I won’ let you! I-”

Cross got over his surprise and started laughing.

He lowered himself until he was half-sitting on the ground, taking as languid a posture as could be managed independent of furniture, and smirked at Allen, who had gone from angry to confused, face still streaked with tears.

“I knew you still had it in you,” Cross said, satisfaction and pride resonating in every word.

“I-” Allen started, staring at Cross in confusion. “Huh?”

“Stupid apprentice, when was the last time you yelled at someone?”

Allen’s mouth fell open slightly, and he clapped his hand over his mouth, fingers splayed and eyes wide. A strangled squeak escaped his throat, which Cross smirked at him for.

Cross was… right. Allen couldn’t really remember the last time he’d yelled at someone - it had been, certainly, before he’d been reborn, all playful spats with Kanda aside, since the other boy always backed off when Allen got scared.

But he’d just yelled at Cross. He hadn’t even thought about it.

And Cross looked _proud of him._

...When was the last time he’d even felt angry? He couldn’t remember. He’d just been scared.

But fear… Had never gotten Allen anywhere. He’d learned early on, last time, to substitute stubbornness. Determination. _Defiance._ Anger, not fear. Action, not reaction.

And that had gotten Allen - gotten _Red –_ everywhere, when he was too small and too weak to properly stand against the people who wanted to hurt him.

He stared with wide eyes at Cross, whose smirk widened.

“That’s it, brat.”

Allen swallowed, and then reached up and scrubbed at his eyes, trying to banish the tears even as he sniffled. “Stupi’ Mastew,” he mumbled. “I hate you.”

Cross snorted. “I know.”

Satisfied, Allen stepped forward and hugged Cross tightly, and then he started laughing.

Cross blanched, and then started struggling, halfheartedly trying to shove Allen off. “Get the fuck off me, stupid apprentice, I’m not a goddamn stuffed toy!”

The door opened, and since his time wasn’t up, Cross assumed that Natasha had heard Allen yelling and was coming to kill him. Luckily, Allen was laughing loud enough that when Cross looked up, Natasha looked thoughtful instead, staring at him.

Cross shrugged and gave up shoving Allen off, and then he smirked. Natasha considered him, and in return, let the corners of her mouth tilt up, just a little.

“Come get your brat off me,” Cross told her, and she smirked at him.

“I don’t know, he seems quite comfortable there.”

And then she refused to save him.

Why had he done this again?


	49. Step Up

Natasha had very little idea what Cross had said to Allen, but she had never heard him yell like that before. She hadn’t been able to make out the words, unfortunately, but he’d sounded angry. Unusual, from Allen. More than unusual. Unheard of.

But after Allen emerged, and the boys went back to playing, she watched them like a hawk, looking for anything different – anything at all.

There was nothing, except perhaps Allen was in a better mood than he had been before the talk, which was… strange. Given the yelling.

She’d need to get that tape from Stark. Soon. Today.

Pepper was beside her, Natasha taking a place between the other woman and Cross, and Natasha noticed her keeping an eye out, too, with some of her attention on Cross as well. Her tablet was on her lap, but she wasn’t using it. She was too tense to focus, Natasha guessed.

Cross’ gaze was intent; though he hid it well, he was searching for signs of improvement just as closely as Natasha was.

Link had shown up while Allen was with Cross, and he was attempting to keep the other three from getting too rowdy, which was amusing but ultimately futile. Lavi was fleeing from Yuu – Natasha thought he’d pulled the other boy’s ponytail – and leading him in circles around the coffee table, laughing. Link was protesting, and Allen was giggling softly, close to Link and smiling.

“I’ll tie you up by your shoelaces!” Yuu yelled at Lavi, snatching at him angrily. Lavi ducked, grinning.

“C’mon, Yuu, don’t be like that!” Lavi teased. “Can’t you take a li’l tug? Yuu?”

“Yuu can’ take anyting tha’ huwts his pwide,” Allen explained cheerfully.

Link groaned and covered his face. “Don’t encourage them!” he complained. Pepper hid a smile behind her hand, and Cross snickered, clearly appreciative.

Yuu turned on Allen instantly, scowling. “Can too!”

Allen, as usual, was all too happy to take up the challenge. “You can’ even lose a spaw nicely!”

“I don’t lose spars!” Yuu objected. “Unlike a certain idiot sprout I know!”

“You lose spaws lots!” Allen argued.

Yuu stormed over to Allen, scowling darkly down at him, close enough that Allen had to crane his head to look him in the eye. “Who’d lose a spar to you, tiny sprout?”

Natasha could see the moment when Allen half-flinched, and beside her, Cross tensed. Then Allen glanced over at her, and a spark appeared in his eyes. The corner of his mouth turned up, and he refocused on Yuu.

Then, before Yuu could react, he reached up, grabbed onto his shirt, and pulled hard.

Yuu yelped, not expecting it, and flailed his arms as he tipped forward. Allen stepped aside, and Yuu grunted as he hit the ground hard, and then again, when Allen plopped onto his back and leaned over to say teasingly,

“Who’s a tiny spwout?”

Cross blew out his breath in a soft, pleased, “Hahh,” and relaxed beside her, leaning back in his seat, radiating smugness. Pepper covered her mouth, eyes wide and startled, and Natasha wasn’t sure she could’ve moved if she’d wanted to, eyes on Allen, whose expression was bright and mischievous – and still a little uncertain, too, even if it was no longer the prevailing emotion.

Link was frozen, too, eyes wide with surprise, hands slowly falling from where they’d been covering his face, and Lavi, on the other side of the table still, stared unabashedly, and then let a grin spread across his face, gradual and honest. And then Lavi started to laugh.

Yuu twisted his head around, eyes just as wide, to look at Allen the best he could. And for just a moment, Natasha could see an expression of surprise and delight flicker across his face, bright and unfettered. Then it was replaced by a playful snarl, and Yuu easily threw Allen off and rolled over to return the favor. The next thing Natasha knew, the two of them were wrestling.

Three months ago, even if it had happened, Natasha would have been certain of how it would go. Yuu was far bigger than Allen, far stronger, and even if he was fundamentally opposed to harming Allen, he was rough by nature. It would have been a massacre rendered in child’s play.

Allen, as it turned out, fought _dirty._ Natasha thought she knew, now, why Cross had been so unsettled earlier. A few of those pinches were going to give Yuu bruises, and Allen was slippery as an eel, too, so Yuu couldn’t keep a hold on him to save his life. The older boy’s face was flushed with frustration even as Allen’s was alight with merriment. Lavi had flopped onto the ground, still laughing, and Link had plopped on his butt, still staring, mouth slightly open.

Natasha was smiling, bright and broad, one step from laughter. She couldn’t help it.

This wasn’t Allen as he had been. She wasn’t that naïve.

But it was the brightest, the most confident, the most _comfortable_ she’d seen him yet, and it filled her with a joy she didn’t think could be described with words.

Cross was laughing, clearly delighted by his apprentice’s antics, supporting himself with an arm across his knees. That left it to Pepper to finally gather herself, shake her head at both of them, eyes light with her own amusement, and rise, crossing the room to break them up.

Natasha was almost sorry that she’d done so when Steve appeared, stepping through the door and sending a questioning glance her way, one hand on the doorframe. Still smiling, Natasha gestured for him to stay quiet and then indicated Allen, who was currently occupied with making faces behind Pepper’s back as the woman scolded Yuu quietly, only to make an innocent one when Pepper glanced back to see why Yuu was so obviously distracted.

When she looked back at Steve, her eyes light and her smile genuine, she found him smiling at her confusedly, clearly catching that something had happened, but having no idea what that may have been.

Natasha let her smile soften and shook her head subtly.

She’d tell him later.

* * *

“This is unfair,” Link complained, and did nothing about it.

Allen, on one side of the older boy, grinned at him. Lenalee, on the other, smiled cheekily.

“That’s the point,” Lenalee explained cheerfully. “Anyway, you’re lots bigger than us. _That’s_ unfair.”

Allen made a soft noise of agreement, and Link shot him an exasperated look, but couldn’t conceal the amused look in his eyes. Link swiped at him halfheartedly with the purple foam noodle he was wielding, and Allen ducked easily while Lenalee, with a blue noodle of her own, took his distraction as the opening it was and hit Link’s leg hard enough to get a hollow thudding noise out of the noodle. Link growled playfully and struck the other way, and Allen, laughing, hit Link on the side.

They were in the playroom now, with Melinda and Steve sitting together off to the side and pretending to read. Steve, at least, spent most of the time watching them thoughtfully, book open in his lap, while Melinda, a few feet away from him, glanced up every so often – interested, but not significantly more so than usual.

Allen was still riding the high from his conversation with Cross – at least partially from the thought that _Cross_ was sure that Allen could do this, and Cross had never been wrong before – and it raised his spirits and made him daring.

Allen glanced at Lenalee, who looked back quizzically, tilting her head. Allen looked up at Link, and then at the ground, and smiled, and after a moment, Lenalee let out a giggle and nodded. Link looked wary.

At the same time, both Allen and Lenalee dropped their ‘weapons’, and Link barely had the time to widen his eyes before they launched themselves at him, and Link went down flailing, the weight of two children dragging him down unceremoniously.

Allen thought he heard a quiet chuckle from Melinda’s direction, and there was no hiding Steve’s bright, amused grin, but his attention was on Link. Soon the older boy was flat on the ground, and Allen and Lenalee both moved to place their only mostly insignificant weights on top of him.

“Why?” Link asked plaintively. Allen gave him a cheeky smile, and Link could only hold his gaze for a moment before the blond closed his eyes and thunked his head against the floor in defeat.

Lenalee, beside Allen, giggled, and Allen felt her hand cover his and looked up at her in question. Lenalee was smiling down at him softly.

“You’re feeling better,” she commented softly.

Allen blinked, and then smiled and nodded.

“Mastew had a few tings t’say,” he explained matter-of-factly.

“Your relationship with Cross is never _not_ going to be weird,” Link muttered candidly, and then squirmed. “Get off me, please!”

Both of them were sent tumbling off, laughing, and he sat up with a huff.

Steve was laughing, and Allen couldn’t stop smiling.

* * *

“Cut the video,” Tony heard himself say, staring, still a little stunned, at the image of Cross Talbot halfheartedly struggling to push Allen off him.

Obediently, FRIDAY dismissed the image, but prudently remained quiet as the two males in the room processed what they’d just seen.

“Oh,” Lavi, kneeling on a chair beside Tony, said at last, voice soft.

‘Oh’, Tony felt, did not quite cover it.

Natasha had come to him, earlier that day, to explain, in very brief terms, what had happened, and then request a copy of the recording. Curious, Tony had decided to watch it himself, and Lavi, present at the time, had wanted to as well.

Tony hadn’t expected it to be quite that intensely personal.

Beside him, Lavi was mouthing words Tony couldn’t quite catch, his green eyes wide and worried. Tony himself was replaying a few of the more unsettling parts in his mind, but the thing he finally asked about was-

“Who’s Cosimo?”

Lavi fell out of his trance and glanced up at Tony, only to shrug. “Don’t know,” he admitted.

Tony was more surprised than he maybe should’ve been. “You don’t know?” he repeated.

“He’s probably someone from Allen’s childhood,” Lavi theorized thoughtfully. “Cross is the only one who’d know about him, then. Allen doesn’t like to talk about it.”

Tony stared at Lavi. “Are you saying _no one_ but Cross knows anything about Allen’s childhood?” he asked.

“Yup,” Lavi agreed, distracted enough to look amused (at Tony’s expense, probably) and a little resigned. “He used to work for a circus. That’s all I know.”

Tony stared a little more, and then grinned. “I’m going to take that as a challenge,” he told Lavi.

Lavi grinned back. “Good luck!” he replied, almost rabidly cheerful.

Tony held the grin for a few moments, and then it faded, thoughtful again.

“How much are things going to change around here?” he asked at last.

Lavi’s grin widened, eyes brightening with genuine glee.

“It’s gonna be _great,”_ he said, which didn’t answer Tony’s question at all.

He found that he didn’t mind much, and he was looking forward to it regardless.

* * *

Natasha watched the security feed three times before she felt prepared to deal with it.

When she did, she went to track down Cross, and found him, after a while, in the empty kitchen, a plate of leftover pasta in front of him.

“You made him cry,” she commented mildly, standing across from him, pretending to be relaxed.

“Everything makes him cry,” Cross replied instantly. “His own shadow makes him cry sometimes.”

“You made him yell,” she continued, thoughtful now.

“That’s a special talent,” Cross told her.

“And that helped him?” A question this time.

“He’s a weird kid.”

Natasha nodded to herself, and then sat down, opposite Cross. Cross sighed, but pushed his food away to give her a long-suffering look, which Natasha ignored.

“Was your goal to make him angry?”

Cross sighed again, but at her visibly testy look, grimaced and straightened a little. “Yeah. He’s a much angrier kid than he lets on-” And the tilt of his head, at that, made Natasha’s mind go straight to the masks she knew Allen held. “-he just uses it in unusual ways. Like I said, he’s a weird kid.”

“Could I have done that if I knew what to say?” she asked, not bothering to pretend this was anything other than an interrogation. Cross knew it, too, from the way he was studying her back. She was a little surprised he was going along with it.

He shook his head. “I piss him off just by existing, but he actually cares what you think. You try saying any of that to him, you’ll send him into a breakdown.”

That was more of less what she’d expected. “Does that have anything to do with your ‘everything was for them’ line?”

“Sure, let’s go with that.” Natasha raised an eyebrow at him. Cross snorted. “That’s how the kid _thinks_ he thinks, how’s that?”

Good enough. “Is that why you changed tactics partway through?”

“Christ, lady, how many questions do you have?” Eyebrow. Cross rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Getting that kid to admit he wants to live is like pulling teeth – which is your problem now, have fun with that.”

“Is that why you’re being so forthcoming?”

“Don’t get used to it,” Cross scowled.

Natasha almost smiled and took that as a yes.

“Asking you to look after Allen without any information would be like throwing you unarmed into a lion den,” Cross added. “Actually, the lion den would probably be easier to manage. Believe it or not, I _don’t_ want this to crash and burn.”

“You don’t act like it,” Natasha commented, voice a little cooler.

Cross scowled. “Let me do my thing. The brat has a _terrible_ history with male guardians.”

That was ominous. And now that she thought of it, no one had yet mentioned Marlisa to Cross. Judging from his behavior thus far, that could be very ugly indeed. She almost looked forward to it.

Moving on to his request, she mulled it over for a moment. On the one hand, assuming that Steve would be anything less than a devoted father was absurd. On the other hand, Cross’ cooperation was worth _something,_ and she suspected his trust would be too, hard-earned or not. She could watch over things to make sure they didn’t get out of hand.

“I’ll be watching you,” she said, and watched Cross grimace again. “I trust Steve.”

Cross inclined his head slightly toward her in acknowledgement, but didn’t look inclined to compromise. That was fair. She wouldn’t have, either. It was almost gratifying, she admitted to herself, that Cross was this invested in Allen’s safety, and she suspected that he could be more than helpful if he wanted to.

It didn’t mean that she’d let up on her own efforts, but it drastically reduced the chances of doing anything too horribly wrong.

One last thing.

“Cosimo?” she asked, clipped and quiet.

Cross grimaced. “Can’t leave the past in the past, can you?” he muttered mulishly, which she took to be a spectacularly bad signal.

“Well, it was one hell of a berserker button,” she replied neutrally. “There must be a story.”

“It’s not a place I’d’ve gone under normal circumstances,” Cross returned, a clearer deflection than she suspected he was capable of. “The brat hates that man like poison.”

“Why?” Perhaps this wasn’t necessary information, but she felt like she needed to know, anyway.

Cross eyed her, apparently decided she really did want to know, scowled, and said, “Allen worked for a circus when he was a kid. Cosimo was a clown there, put himself in charge of Allen’s discipline.” Cross’ scowl deepened. “I don’t know what all he did, but my stupid apprentice was way too familiar with the feel of a broken bone when he passed to me, and he had a very _interesting_ set of scars on his back.”

Natasha didn’t need him to get any more explicit than that; there were already images, far too vivid, forming in her mind. She bit her cheek and tasted blood, and stared Cross in the eye as the man’s expression darkened just at the thought.

“Perhaps it’s for the best that he’s long dead,” Natasha said calmly.

“Yeah, maybe,” Cross agreed.

“Thank you,” Natasha added, “for your cooperation.”

She pushed back from the table, stood up, and went to leave, and behind her, heard Cross growl softly to himself and pull the plate back, tapping it loudly and discontently with his fork.

She needed to talk to Steve. By now, he would have seen the feed, too.

His reaction, she was sure, would be at least as conflicted as hers had been, and for once, she didn’t think he’d know how to deal with it.

Envy was not a sin one could normally accuse Steve Rogers of possessing.

* * *

After she finished relaying Cross’ information to Steve, he sat on the bed for a while, head in his hands. She waited patiently, letting him have this moment to struggle with himself.

Finally, Steve blew out a breath and sat up to look at her, letting her see the whirling confusion and worry and frustration. “I wasn’t prepared for this,” he said at last, almost plaintive.

Natasha let her expression soften, knowing that Steve wasn’t just referring to the things they’d learned tonight. “I know,” she agreed. “Neither of us were. But how is that any different from normal? We weren’t prepared for aliens, either.”

Steve sighed, crossed his legs, and visibly forced himself to focus. “Allen’s going to be different now.”

Natasha almost wished she were surprised. Steve’s flaws were not particularly obvious – certainly not as much so as, say, Tony’s – but a chronic inability to acknowledge his own struggles, internal or external, was high on the list.

_Pride._

“He will,” Natasha agreed. “But if today was any indication, I think it’ll be a good thing.”

Steve managed a weak smile. “He’s a little trickster,” he commented, almost wistfully. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I think it goes further than that,” Natasha judged, letting herself smile in response. “But we’ll see, I suppose.”

Steve nodded. “What are we going to do?”

“We’re going to watch,” Natasha replied, crossing her legs as well. “And if a problem comes up, we’ll take care of it. We’re going to take care of him, Steve, just like we decided to do a year ago.”

Steve laughed and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m being ridiculous again, aren’t I?”

“Just a little,” Natasha confirmed, her smile curving into something lighter and more genuine. “The most important thing is, he’s still Allen.”

Steve’s smile held for a few moments longer, and then it faded, and his brow furrowed unhappily. She quirked an eyebrow at him questioningly, and he sighed.

“We don’t know much about him,” he said quietly, clearly unsettled.

“No,” Natasha admitted, sighing. “We’ll learn.”

“Nat, something was wrong with Allen, and we didn’t even really know.” Steve was looking more distressed by the moment. “We needed _someone else_ to step in. And he made it look so damn easy.”

Natasha didn’t think it had been easy at all, actually. Not from the tired look on Cross’ face.

“We were never going to be able to do this on our own,” was what she said instead. _It’s okay to need help,_ she didn’t say.

“But from him?” Steve asked plaintively.

Natasha shrugged. “At the moment, Cross knows Allen best.”

“Yeah,” Steve murmured.

And he didn’t sound happy about it at all.


	50. Information Dissemination

“Alright, what am I working with?” Cross asked, bored already and a little exasperated.

He was leaning on the table in the meeting room, elbow on the surface and head tilted onto his hand, one hand resting casually in front of him. The red bracelets of his crystal-type Innocence stood out only slightly from the rest of his outfit.

Opposite Cross, Coulson sat with that placid look on his face, and a tablet on the table in front of him. Maria was seated at his right side, and Tony was a few seats away to his left, to prove that he didn’t dance to Coulson’s tune, Cross assumed. He could get behind that sort of petty gesture, since it was exactly the sort of thing he himself was fond of. Talbot was a few seats to Cross’ right, scowling with deep disapproval.

Apparently, it was standard protocol for newly discovered exorcists to get interrogated to within an inch of their lives, and given that he was currently the only known exorcist over the age of twenty, he’d probably get hit a bit harder than the others, given that he was unlikely to break down into tears.

Too bad for them Cross wasn’t overly fond of giving out information.

“I was hoping you could tell us,” Coulson said mildly, making no move to relay anything Cross’ way. “We like to reconfirm the story as often as possible, you understand. It prevents… misunderstandings.”

Of course, it was no surprise that the head of an organization like SHIELD would be an expert on getting information out of unwilling subjects.

Cross thought he heard Talbot make a low noise of agreement and rolled his eyes.

“Fine, fine,” Cross said dismissively. He pushed off the table, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair, considering what they’d likely been told already, and what he was willing to give up himself. Which was to say, almost nothing. “As an exorcist, I worked for the Black Order, an organization formed in 17-something to combat creatures called akuma.”

Coulson was nodding along, and Maria’s gaze was intent. Tony was pretending not to be paying attention, and Talbot’s brow was furrowed. It didn’t look like that, so far, had been news to him, which meant he’d been partially briefed already. Good. Cross didn’t really want to know how he’d have reacted to getting all this dumped on him at once.

Cross hadn’t really wanted him to know at all. Talbot wasn’t really a supernatural-forces, plot-decades-in-the-making sort of guy, Cross had known that almost from the start. The guy was just too straightforward.

“Akuma come in four levels, each one order of magnitude more powerful than the last. Anyone with an Innocence could take out a level one, but you can count on needing at least one general to take out a level four. You follow?”

“I follow,” Coulson said mildly, pretending that Tony wasn’t behind him logging in whatever information Cross had involuntarily added to the database.

Keeping him from looking at their database had been a good data gathering strategy. Cross would approve if it hadn’t been directed _against him._

“General,” Talbot interrupted, studying Cross intently, brow furrowed. “The Order had a standard chain of command?”

Cross nearly smirked, taking private amusement from the fact that he’d matched the man’s title, if in a very different way. Still, he opted to clarify this much.

“Nothing like it,” he denied, shaking his head dismissively. “There were only two ranks of exorcist: standard issue and general. Once you reach a certain power level, they slap the title of ‘general’ on you and you’re allowed to take on apprentices and shit, since they’re reasonably sure you won’t die before you finish training them.”

Talbot wrinkled his nose, clearly displaying his opinion of that, and Cross smirked. _Yeah, that’s what I thought, old man._

“Most generals had been with the Order for at least ten, maybe twenty years,” Cross tacked on. “Compared to a regular exorcist, who might survive for maybe five or six.” Talbot’s fist was clenching. Cross moved on.

“Lenalee mentioned that some of the generals might be able to stand up to the Hulk,” Coulson commented, voice and expression both carefully neutral.

What had that girl been _thinking?_ Hadn’t she learned anything from the CROW?

“Yeah, well, let’s hope we’ll never find out.”

Coulson studied him for a few moments more, and then glanced down at his wrists. “I notice you’ve activated your Innocence,” he said instead. “We’ve gotten a minor demonstration from both Miranda and Noise, but one from someone of a higher power level would be… appreciated.”

Yeah, Cross was sure it would.

Even so, he smirked. “Judgement,” he agreed. “Probably safe to use indoors.”

“I was given to understand that certain circumstances allowed activation?” Coulson pressed.

“During the Battle of New York,” Cross admitted with a nod.

Talbot looked over sharply. Cross rolled his eyes. _Yeah, old man, there was a reason I went elsewhere during that attack – like, say, anywhere you **weren’t.**_

Tony looked up sharply, brown eyes suddenly very, very interested.

“One of the whale monsters,” the genius mentioned idly, gaze sharp, “was found dead. None of the Avengers could remember killing one in that specific location. We found it very odd, since those things were pretty memorable. We assumed it dropped when the rest of the Chitauri did.”

“What makes you think it didn’t?” Cross challenged, without actually denying anything. Which was a pretty big concession from him.

God, but it had been good to get Judgement back.

He considered the pros and cons for a moment – he really didn’t want to surrender any data to SHIELD, but if he was completely honest, the mystery of the Innocence would bother him for the rest of his life if he didn’t figure anything out.

“A test or two might be tolerable,” he allowed at last, and rolled his eyes at the manic grin that flashed across Tony’s face. Before the man could get any ideas, he moved on, changing the subject entirely. “The main problem with akuma wasn’t their power – a level one could kill a man in one shot with a virus delivered through its bullets, and level twos each had a random-ass ability of their own-” Best not to get into the abilities of level threes and fours, else they’d start wondering about the people who could _combat_ those sorts of creatures. “-but the fact that they could disguise themselves as humans.”

Coulson inclined his head slightly, while Maria and Talbot stiffened and Tony’s head jerked up. “Lenalee mentioned as much.”

Cross smirked lightly. “Figures,” he agreed. “It was a perfect disguise, and I never met anyone except my apprentice who could tell them apart.”

“Why could he?” Maria asked, leaning forward slightly, gaze unwavering.

Well, Allen had never exactly been secretive about this. Unlike most things.

Perhaps only because it was so useful.

“The scar on his face?” Cross prompted, and it was clear that he had everyone’s attention at that – even Talbot’s, which made him deeply suspicious. (Decades later, it was still a force of will to keep himself from reaching up to touch his face.) “It’s a curse mark.” They didn’t need to know how he got it, but- “It lets him see akuma souls.”

“These curses,” Tony commented, posture casual in a way that didn’t fool Cross for a second, “they don’t seem very detrimental.”

Cross raised one eyebrow skeptically. “You know about more than just my stupid apprentice’s?”

“Yuu’s,” Maria clarified. Cross still found it funny that Kanda had changed his mind about the whole name thing.

“They didn’t tell you much about them, then,” Cross commented dryly. And that meant they might eventually run around thinking that Kanda had infinite healing ability, which would serve no one well. “My idiot apprentice threw up and then fainted the first time he saw an akuma soul, so they probably aren’t real pretty.” God knows the nightmares hadn’t been. “Kanda- Sorry, _Yuu-”_ He was very proud of himself for not snickering. “His curse is ultimately what killed him. Not the CROW.” Well. In a manner of speaking.

That seemed to strike them speechless for a moment. Good. That meant they probably wouldn’t ask for any form of clarification.

Time to move on, before they regained their senses.

“The akuma were creations of the Millennium Earl, who was head of the Clan of Noah, which consisted of fourteen metahumans, each one with a unique ability capable of at least matching the power of a general.” Or several generals, depending on circumstances, preparation, matchup-

No need to mention any personal ties that may or may not have existed between any of the exorcists and any of the Noah. _Certainly,_ no need to mention Neah or Mana, or their connections to either Cross or his unfortunate apprentice.

No need to air dirty laundry.

“Each of the Noah were killed by an exorcist, or sometimes two, over the course of about three years,” Cross continued, a little more serious now. “Mostly in grudge matches, believe it or not.”

“A war for the world, and you still can’t escape grudge matches,” Tony commented, trying for humor and failing miserably. Cross smirked anyway.

“Who really fights for the world, anyway?” he asked rhetorically.

“And did you kill any of them?” Talbot asked, gaze searching and intent. Cross raised an eyebrow, but answered anyway, without hesitation.

“Fiidora.” Best not to mention Allen’s role in that fight. “He planted a mole in the Order; nearly killed both Lavi and the stupid Han kid, too.”

He heard Tony inhale sharply and didn’t look over. Coulson nodded, the corner of his mouth turned down and shoulders visibly tense.

“Can you give us a list of the names of the Noah?” Coulson asked.

Cross waved his hand dismissively. “Easy. You haven’t gotten that from any of them already?”

“It wasn’t a priority,” Maria explained without so much as a flinch.

“Sure.” Probably they’d placed the priority on keeping the kids from breaking down. Probably wise. “Listen, then.” He waited for Tony to be over his miniature panic attack and listening again. “There was the Millennium Earl, obviously. Then there was Toraido, then Tyki Mikk and Sheryl Kamelot – those two were brothers – and Wisely Kamelot – Sheryl adopted both him and Road. Fiidora, obviously. Maashima. Skinn Boric. Road Kamelot – like I said, Sheryl adopted her, too. Jasdevi – that one could split into two, Jasdero and Debitto. Weird guy. Lulubell, Maitora, and then the last one was Neah.”

Ugh. Cross hated giving out this much information at once, and he hated remembering. Ugh, ugh. Since when did he _monologue?_

Necessity could be a bitch sometimes.

“Could you provide a list of which Noah was killed by which exorcist?” Coulson asked, keeping his voice low.

Cross couldn’t stop himself from snorting. The only alternative, really, was flinching violently, which he refused to do. “The kids _were_ full-blown exorcists, you realize that, right?” he asked doubtfully. “Allen was fifteen when this all started going down. Do you really want to know which of them has killed and why?” Answers being all of them, and for deeply personal reasons, respectively.

Coulson paused. “Perhaps it’s best done in private,” he admitted after a long moment. He glanced at a rather still Tony. “On paper.”

Cross rolled his eyes. “I can work with that,” he told the ceiling.

“I’ll ask about their abilities then, too,” Coulson added, visibly recovering.

_Ugh._

“Central,” Tony prompted, looking the most obviously interested he had thus far. So did Coulson, for that matter.

Cross supposed that was fair, given the general bastardy nature of Central.

“Bunch of assholes,” he said dismissively. No one backed down. Cross scowled. And from Talbot’s face – he hadn’t quite been filled in on this part yet. “Central worked directly under the Vatican, and had control over most of the Order’s affairs if they chose to exert it. Mostly they only did this to poke their noses where they didn’t belong.” Like with the Artificial Apostles experiments, and with Allen, and, for that matter, Lenalee. “They didn’t have any exorcists under their direct control, but they had the CROW, a group of highly trained fighters loyal only to Central.” Yup, Talbot definitely didn’t know. Well, _Cross_ wasn’t going to be the one to tell him-

“And these were the people who Central sent to assassinate the exorcists?” Maria prompted, mouth a thin line.

Wonderful.

“Yup,” Cross confirmed. “They’d gotten to at least nine of the other exorcists before I decided I wasn’t about to let them get to me.” Nine, including his idiot, idiot apprentice.

Talbot’s head jerked up. “You didn’t,” he said, voice stern, as if he could actually do something about it.

What the fuck was this guy’s _problem?_

Cross rolled his eyes, ignored the old man, and said to Coulson, “That all you wanted to know?”

“You filled in a few of the cracks, thank you,” Coulson agreed mildly, and Cross scowled.

Yeah, if Coulson had just _shown him the damn file,_ he wouldn’t have even given them that much. Damn nosy government agencies and their stupid interrogation techniques. When he got out of here, he was going to do nothing but lie for a _year._

Talbot’s eyes were still burrowing into the side of his head. Cross really didn’t want to deal with that. Not at all.

Luckily, he had an apprentice to bother, and failing that, his apprentice’s friends were also open for interrogation.

* * *

Coulson let his senior agents commission the most amusing things sometimes. Case in point: a set of toddler-sized gymnastics equipment.

Of course, he knew why they needed it.

Melinda had passed the idea for tumbling lessons onto Natasha, who agreed almost instantly, and they’d decided to conduct sessions for the four children together, Natasha serving as the mandatory Avengers standby as well as an ‘instructor’. Bucky would pitch in when he was around, which was probably going to be more often than anticipated, given that he’d been taken off HYDRA missions.

Currently, it was just the two of them, Allen, and Lenalee together, with Lavi doing something with his father in the library and Yuu hovering suspiciously around Cross, whom he apparently didn’t trust.

Allen, on the balance beam, was wearing an almost comical expression of concentration, grey eyes fixed intently on the beam in front of him, tongue sticking out of his mouth slightly, and holding tightly onto Natasha’s hand. Very slowly, he placed one foot in front of the other, walking along it with Natasha’s help.

Off to the side, Melinda was crouching beside Lenalee, attempting to guide her through a forward roll.

Noticing that Natasha’s attention had drifted, Allen glanced over to Lenalee and smiled.

“Len’lee woul’ have liked twapeze mo’ den acwobatics,” he commented offhandedly.

“Trapeze?” Natasha mused aloud, tugging slightly to get his attention back onto his own task as he nearly slipped. If her hand tightened slightly at the mention of Allen’s circus time, he didn’t seem to notice. “I can see it.”

Allen looked up and grinned at her, slipped, yelped, and clung to her hand. When he’d regained his balance, he grinned sheepishly. Natasha chuckled.

“What did you do?” she asked him, and turned him around fluidly as they reached the end of the beam. He laughed at the unnecessary twirl, making her smile at him, and then answered,

“Clown!”

Of course. Why not?

“Did you enjoy it?” she prompted. He nodded, smile turning fond. She laughed and shook her head. “You’re going to become silly like your father. It will be unbearable.”

“Good ting,” he assured her, and she nearly had to lunge to catch him when he turned and deliberately slipped off the beam.

“I guess you’re done with that, then,” she said wryly, and he smiled at her cheerfully.

“Mm-hm!” he agreed, and tugged her toward Lenalee.

As they approached, Melinda looked up and nodded in acknowledgement, and Lenalee finished her forward roll, noticed them, and waved, smiling.

“Time for a break,” Melinda decided, shifting slightly to a more comfortable position. Natasha nodded in agreement.

“This is fun,” Lenalee offered, smiling brightly. “Thank you!”

Melinda’s lips quirked up slightly in a smile. “You’re welcome. Is it having the effect you’d hoped for?”

Lenalee looked down – at her legs, Natasha noted – and frowned, shrugging.

“Don’t know,” she admitted. “It hasn’ been tha’ long.”

“My balance bettew,” Allen offered. “I don’ fall much ‘nymowe.”

Lenalee considered, and then smiled at him and nodded.

“Don’t forget that your progress shouldn’t be anything like Lavi or Yuu’s,” Natasha advised, sitting down by Allen. “You won’t have the same capabilities for quite some time.”

Lenalee wrinkled her nose at that, and to Natasha’s amusement, Allen copied the motion a second later.

“No one has Yuu’s ‘bilities,” Lenalee dismissed, shaking her head.

“I spaw wih Yuu,” Allen said, almost petulantly.

“An’ you _enjoy_ it. You sick.” But Lenalee was smiling anyway. “You’ll hafta wait. Too little.”

Allen pouted.

Natasha caught Melinda giving Lenalee a brief glance and then Allen a long, considering look, but turned her attention to Allen instead.

“So you liked to spar with Yuu,” she mused aloud, half-smiling as Allen scooted up against her and looked up to smile. She ran her hand absently down his side and asked, “Any particular reason for that?”

Allen considered, and then shrugged. “Good pawtnew,” he offered hesitantly.

“He means they both insane,” Lenalee clarified with a soft giggle. Allen stuck his tongue out at Lenalee, and Lenalee stuck hers out right back. Natasha stifled a laugh, glanced up, and found Melinda hiding a smile, shaking her head. “They make a good team, too.”

“Who’d wowk well wih _dat_ jewk?” Allen muttered under his breath, _definitely_ petulant this time, but his eyes were sparkling and he was barely keeping himself from smiling.

“Don’t talk about your friend that way,” Natasha chided, smile probably taking all the sting out of her words, and Allen pouted again.

Lenalee laughed, hopped up, and pulled Allen to his feet in a full-body motion that very nearly had both of them tumbling over.

“You want tha’ back, don’ you?” she asked him, and he smiled. “Then let’s go!”

Natasha chuckled and rose to her feet. “I guess breaktime’s over,” she commented to Melinda, who had made the same movement at almost the same time.

She glanced up to see Melinda giving her a long look the likes of which she’d seen her give Allen only moments before, and then Melinda allowed herself a small smile and a nod.

“Perhaps something more like strengthening exercises this time,” she suggested, and both Lenalee and Allen made interested noises. “Strengthening exercises it is.”

* * *

“What’s the Witch doing with Allen?” Cross asked Lavi suspiciously. Lavi shrugged.

“You can try and find out if you want to. They won’t tell me anything about it.”

“Hmph.” Cross glowered suspiciously after them for a moment, and then snorted and shook his head. “Eh, I don’t care enough.”

Lenalee giggled quietly, and levered herself up to sit (kneel) on the couch beside him. “Sure you don’,” she murmured.

“Don’t be a brat,” Cross snapped halfheartedly.

“I can assure you that Wanda will not bring Allen to harm,” Vision offered, smiling slightly in obvious amusement. “They have been doing this almost since his arrival.”

Cross made a doubtful sound, and then shook his head roughly. “Whatever. That isn’t what I wanted to talk to you kids about.” He glanced down, studied them – Lenalee kneeling on one side and now Lavi folded up on the other, head tilted curiously and arms around his knees – and then continued, with a slight growl in his voice, “I don’t suppose either of you know what happened to Allen?”

Both their smiles vanished. Off to the side, Vision’s had as well.

“Marlisa,” Lavi offered in a one-word explanation, clear, uncharacteristic venom in his voice. Cross cocked an eyebrow, unimpressed with his brevity.

“Marlisa was Allen’s birth mother,” Vision explained, solemn now. “She was unkind to him.”

 _“Bruises,”_ Lavi muttered under his breath with a scowl.

“So the brat has shit luck with guardians in general,” was what Cross said aloud, but his gaze had turned stormy, jaw tightening so he was almost grinding his teeth. He’d have to find out more, but- elsewhere. Not from the kids, probably, who were known to understate every problem ever, sometimes for each other as well as themselves. But-

Bruises, huh?

Yeah, someone was gonna pay for that.

“Hey, Bookman Junior, how’s the record going?” Apropos of nothing, usually the best way to make them forget about what they were just talking about. Lavi looked visibly surprised to be addressed as such, which was amusing. And he actually sat back to think about it for a bit, which was almost as much so.

“I finished backtracking all the differences,” Lavi told him cautiously, eying Cross as one might a feral animal. _(Endless_ amusement, this kid. Not quite as good as Allen, but close.) “And most of the Avengers’ backgrounds. I’m finishing that and then I gotta catch up to now.” And then, inevitably, “Why do you care?”

“Hey, do I really gotta have a reason for everything?” Cross asked, more amused than offended. “Maybe I’m just interested in history, or whatever.”

“No way,” Lavi and Lenalee said immediately, at the same time.

“I’m hurt,” Cross smirked, and did not surrender any actual information; he’d done enough of that for a _lifetime._

“I understand Lavi spends less time in the library than he used to,” Vision offered, looking at Cross with a thoughtful look that Cross wanted no part of. “So his progress has of course slowed, but he is with friends now, so all is well.”

“What he said,” Lavi agreed, bobbing his head. “Record’s mostly just for me, anyway.”

“Silly,” Lenalee murmured, shaking her head slightly, and Lavi grinned at her.

He’d heard about Lenalee’s situation, too, but he wasn’t going to talk about that now. Damn kids were suspicious enough of him already.

They were hilarious to watch as tiny kids, though. It’d be a shame when they grew up.

At least he was sure they _would_ grow up this time.

* * *

Allen craned his head up to frown concernedly at Steve, who seemed… tense.

Cross, it seemed, was going to be staying for a longer period of time than originally intended, for reasons no one had thought to inform Allen of.

Cross had also taken to hanging around Allen for what, to Allen, was a surprising portion of the time. Steve had been reacting to that by spending just as much. Allen was guessing that Steve didn’t trust Cross around him.

Fair enough. Cross was a very untrustworthy person.

Now Allen was seated between them while something uninteresting played on the television, which none of them were paying any particular attention to. Steve’s hand was curled protectively around Allen’s left, and Allen himself was dozing lightly against Steve.

Cross was pretending to watch the television, but Allen knew he wasn’t. He didn’t glance over at them, nothing so obvious as that – but he was angled toward them, a little bit, and his arms were crossed. He was tense.

Allen wondered what his stupid master was up to this time.

Finally, Steve sighed and, hand still around Allen’s, looked over at Cross.

“Natasha told me what you did for Allen,” he said cautiously. Allen, no longer dozing, stayed quiet nonetheless. “I- Thank you.”

Cross looked at Steve and smirked. “No big deal,” he said casually, without moving. “It’s easy enough if you know how he works, it’s just no one around here does.” His smirk widened. “For shame. Almost would think no one was trying.”

Steve did not smile. “Well, we all have our slow days,” he said, voice cool.

“Some more than others,” Cross agreed, and then, “Brat, I know you’re not sleeping.”

Allen opened his eyes and scowled at Cross. “Stupid intewfewing Mastew,” he mumbled, pushing himself up.

“Eavesdropping brat,” Cross countered, looking entirely too amused.

“Manip’lative jewk!”

“Are you trying to draw me into an insult contest, idiot apprentice? You won’t win. I’m not your stupid friend with the sword.”

“His name is _Yuu,_ stupid Master.”

“Allen,” Steve said sternly, lips twitching with an unfriendly sort of amusement. “You shouldn’t call people names.”

Allen looked up at him, shrugged, and then scowled at Cross, who rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. Stupid brat.”

Steve’s smile disappeared. “And you shouldn’t call him stupid,” he added, voice a little harder. “He’s just a child.”

Cross waved his hand dismissively. “He knows I don’t mean it, don’t you, idiot apprentice?”

Allen rolled his eyes, wondering what his master was playing at _this_ time. Steve was growing tenser by the moment, but why, _why?_

“Jewk,” Allen repeated, sounding more amused than he’d meant to.

“God knows I called him it enough while I was training him,” Cross added, jabbing Allen lightly in the side. Allen squirmed away and scowled at him, and hey, Steve would let Allen use him as an escape route, excellent. From Steve’s other side, Allen stuck his tongue out at Cross, and Cross rolled his eyes. “Brat.”

“You shouldn’t call a child names,” Steve said sternly, voice tight. Allen frowned up at him again, concerned. Cross was messing with Steve, that was certain, but Allen still couldn’t quite figure out _how._ “Allen is perfect just the way he is.”

Steve was silly.

“By whose standards?” Cross snorted, tossing his head lightly.

“Mine and my wife’s,” Steve half-snapped. Allen’s fingers tightened anxiously over where his right hand rested on Steve’s leg, before he could stop them, and Steve took a deep breath. When he spoke again, most of the obvious anger had left his voice. “I’d appreciate it if you worked with us on this, instead of against us.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Allen had just missed a lot, and he didn’t like it.

Well, if it kept happening, he’d pester Cross until he fessed up. That usually worked eventually.


	51. Assessment of Flaws

For fuck’s sake, how long was the old man planning to hover around Cross and glare at everyone? It had stopped being funny after the first day and a half.

On the other hand, it was hard to keep up a bad mood in this environment. The SHIELD labs were impressive, and Cross suspected that Stark had done some renovations on them, considering there was a lot of technology here that definitely wasn’t available on the market.

Stark himself, Fitz, and Simmons were all in the lab at the moment, working together to unravel the mysteries of the Innocence. Or something.

And Talbot was standing around asking questions and pretending to understand more than thirty percent of what he was being told. What the fuck, honestly.

“The Order kept an inch-thick file on all of its exorcists and never found anything,” Cross informed Simmons, who was currently running tests on his blood, comparing it, she’d mentioned, to Miranda’s and Marie’s. Er, _‘Noise’s’._ “I don’t see why you think you will.”

Simmons looked up, distracted. If she’d been a cat, her ears might have perked up with interest. “An inch-thick file? Really? What on Earth for?”

“Spent most of their time trying to figure out what let an exorcist achieve synchronization,” Cross explained, tapping his foot impatiently. His fingers itched; he wanted to get his hands on some of these machines. “But like I said, they never found anything. Like hell you will.”

Simmons ‘hum’ed, and Talbot frowned suspiciously at Cross.

“They,” he repeated skeptically.

Cross refused to startle. Refused. He did frown at Talbot, though, holding the old man’s gaze for a few moments before he let a smirk stretch across his face. Well, of course. Cross worked for a goddamn, whatever, _university_ now, and Talbot knew it.

“Yeah, I worked with them for a while,” he allowed, more amused than anything. “Had to stop when I synchronized, though. Can’t be an exorcist _and_ a scientist, after all.” Then he might start hearing about the more exorcist-unfriendly experiments, and then where would they be?

Oh, wait.

Stark, who was distracted fiddling with a machine that was throwing up a projection of what looked suspiciously like an infrared scan of Allen’s hand, looked up to squint at Cross.

“Have you been letting us run around like idiots for the past half hour?” he asked suspiciously.

“Maybe,” Cross admitted, smirk widening.

Fitz, working with something else Cross didn’t bother checking, threw up his hands. “Great,” he complained halfheartedly. “I love spending time making no progress. Why wouldn’t I. Why would that be good to know.”

“I would apologize for him, but I got tired of that about thirty-five years ago,” Talbot said, with a deadpan that Cross was practically proud of.

“You shouldn’t apologize for perfection anyway,” Cross countered, letting amusement light his eyes. “About time you learned that, old man.”

“I would like you if you weren’t so annoying,” Stark told him, and then, “Alright, then, moving on from the boring biological tests! I’m sure we’ve got a place to stress-test weapons around here, I know because I designed it – let’s go, chop chop, we can do more scans later.”

“Who put you in charge?” Cross asked, and pushed off the wall he’d been leaning against to head for the door.

“I did,” Stark said, “because I am a genius and famous and people do what I say, so I say let’s go!” He made push-shove motions toward the door, with a slightly manic look in his eyes, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Cross approved. It helped that Talbot was rolling his eyes and grimacing, since that was always funny. To express this approval, he followed Stark – and Fitz, who was almost as eager – out the door.

“You never mentioned what form your Innocence took,” Simmons pointed out, eyes expectant as she kept pace with him, a step or two behind Fitz and Stark and three in front of Talbot.

Cross reached over and thumbed the stigmata on his right wrist. He leered at Simmons, who blinked, visibly startled.

“I’m more interested in what form _yours_ takes,” Cross replied, voice dripping with suggestiveness.

When he looked up, Fitz was scowling at him. The hell. That had been a _very_ tasteful innuendo, thank you very much. Uncharacteristically so, even.

There didn’t seem to be anyone he could flirt with ‘round here without getting himself killed. Damn.

He looked back at Simmons, who had apparently recovered herself, and she reached to touch the red ring around his wrist. He pulled away before she could, and instead, she said,

“Noise’s Innocence appeared to be made of razor thread, but Miranda’s wasn’t anything I recognized; its power over time was fascinating, but we didn’t feel it was safe to experiment extensively, given the energy cost. I would be very interested in seeing yours.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Cross muttered, rolling his eyes. “I’ll pull it out when we get there, how’s that?”

“You’d better, after that song and dance,” Talbot muttered, apparently more resentful about the waste of time than the people who had done the actual useless testing. Sucks to be him.

“Don’t you think I would’ve complained before now?” Cross complained.

“You are not a very nice person,” Stark observed idly, and apparently found the place he was looking for, because he opened a door.

“It’s been said before,” Cross agreed, and poked in to give the room a cursory glance.

It was pretty extensive; neither Stark or SHIELD did things by half measures, it seemed. It contained a number of machines – for measuring speed, force, etc. – as well as dummies, punching bags, and, lo and behold, a range.

Stark turned around and spread his arms, a proud smirk on his face. “Alright, we’re here. Let’s see it, General Mini-Talbot.”

Talbot scowled, which was almost amusing enough to keep Cross from becoming annoyed.

Regardless, despite himself, Cross was almost excited. He didn’t often get a reason to pull Judgement out, really, and he kind of missed it.

“If you fucking _insist,”_ Cross said offhandedly, and held out his hand. “Judgement – activate.”

A pull at his chest, and the red bangles around his wrists melted. Within a few moments, the familiar weight of Judgement rested in his hand, every line and curve precisely as it had always been.

“A gun?” Stark asked. “That’s… underwhelming.”

“Shut the fuck up, Stark,” Cross said idly, spinning Judgement in his hand. “Judgement’s a mile better than anything you’ll ever come out with, trust me.”

Interest lit Stark’s eyes. “Prove it,” he challenged, indicating the range. “Show us what you’ve got.”

“Wait, wait!” Fitz objected, and there he went toward the machines. Stark also looked interested, and went after him.

Cross smirked after them and turned around, and- what the fuck was Talbot doing in his face.

“Get out of my face.”

Talbot moved exactly one step back. Asshole.

After Talbot was no longer an inch from his head (okay, maybe that was a slight exaggeration, but what the fuck, honestly) Cross noticed that most of Talbot’s attention was actually on Judgement. Okay, fair enough.

“That’s your weapon?” Talbot asked, with that focused business tone he had. Cross rolled his eyes, but felt his expression lighten anyway.

“Always has been,” Cross agreed. Feeling charitable, he offered it to Talbot, who took it and turned it over in his hands, studying it intently.

“Looks old,” Talbot commented, frowning slightly. “Large caliber autorevolver?”

“Yup,” Cross confirmed, pride tugging at his chest and his tone. “Never runs out of bullets, either; feature of the Innocence. Can’t be dodged, can’t be blocked – thing of beauty.”

Amusement crossed Talbot’s face and he almost smiled. “You’re waxing poetic. About a gun.”

“Fuck off,” Cross smirked, arms crossed and eyes glittering.

“Can’t be blocked, hm?” Simmons asked, and damn, Cross had almost forgotten she was still there, almost vibrating with repressed excitement. “Have you tested that?”

Well, yeah. Extensively. But it might be interesting to do a little more.

“I have a feeling I’m about to,” Cross said dryly, receiving his gun back from Talbot.

“Hell yeah, you’re about to,” Stark called from where he and Fitz were going through the final steps of setting up whatever equipment they’d wanted to. “I’ve got some things you can shoot through.”

That sounded… hilarious, honestly.

And it was. Stark made increasingly hilarious faces as Cross shot through a dummy, a punching bag, three punching bags, and a plank of wood. Without missing the bullseye once. (Their reactions when glowing crosses appeared over each obstacle and target were funny, too.)

Cross was greatly enjoying himself. Talbot might have to give in and either laugh or break a rib, too, from the looks of him.

“That’s it!” Stark declared, setting up a half-inch-thick metal plate across the center of the range with the help of an increasingly visibly excited Fitz. “Shoot through this, you smug bastard.”

Well, Cross _could._ On the other hand, he had very little interest in _actually_ showing these people what he could do. This was just a prelude to playing with those sensors in the lab, honestly.

He aimed loosely at the target (Talbot made funnier faces every time he hit the bullseye from angles at which that should not be possible) and fired, and, of course, as expected, the bullet became stuck in the metal and did not move on.

“Ha!” Stark crowed, and Fitz grinned.

“How fast was that?” Fitz asked, already scrambling for the readouts. “What did it take to stop that bullet? What kind of metal was that?”

Simmons was laughing as Stark and Fitz started throwing information back and forth, and Cross let an easy smirk fall onto his face and stepped back.

“Wait.” Talbot’s gaze intensified, and Cross’ smirk changed into a scowl. “He’s not done. Are you, Cross?”

“Fucking hell, old man, you’re going to get me killed,” Cross groused, making it sound a lot more lighthearted than it actually was.

Goddamn Stark, apparently, picked up on that, because his gaze sharpened, and he leaned forward slightly. “SHIELD isn’t looking for Bruce, you know,” he said offhandedly. “It put together the Avengers, but it isn’t keeping tabs on the ones out of range.”

Stark was not subtle.

Plus, that had been enough to tip Talbot off as to the source of Cross’ hang-ups, which made Cross scowl harder.

“You don’t seriously think you’d get hunted down if SHIELD knew what you could do,” Talbot nearly growled, less with skepticism and more with suspicious realization.

“I spent the better part of my last life keeping out of Central’s hands,” Cross snapped, sharper than he’d intended. Forty-one years, and he was still bitter. “I know what sets off people like them, and powerful people out of control are high on the list.” And then, “Sin Annihilation Level. Double damage.”

He paused for a moment, letting his Innocence adjust, and then fired. This bullet tore a hole in the metal plate right where the other bullet had become lodged, and then buried itself an inch into the wall behind.

“Done,” he added, letting his voice cool. “Ready to actually get shit done? Trust me, running scans on Judgement will be a lot more interesting than doing them on me.” Especially for Cross himself, because like hell he was going to keep sitting this out.

“Sounds like a good idea,” Simmons agreed, slightly faint, though she again recovered quickly. Fitz nodded his agreement, eyes a little solemn – he kept forgetting these people had known the kids for a while now.

Too bad for them. The kids were unfortunate even by exorcists’ standards.

That was enough to get them moving, and Cross carefully refused to show his relief on his face as they headed back out. He almost started when Stark dropped in, casual as anything, beside him.

“For the record,” Stark said to him, in a surprising undertone, “I don’t think you showed us everything you can do.”

Well, fuck you too, Stark.

* * *

A week after Cross Talbot arrived, General Talbot the elder was cleared to visit the younger exorcists. Steve felt a lot more resentful about this than he probably should, but he also didn’t argue.

If Steve was honest with himself, it had been a stressful week. On the one hand, Allen had been gradually gaining confidence over the course of that week, reaching out to people more and more often and becoming something like outgoing, and that was wonderful to see. He’d started talking to some of the members of Coulson’s team without being prompted, and he was spending longer periods of time away from Natasha’s side (or Steve’s, when Natasha was elsewhere).

On the other hand, Cross.

Cross was a lot like Tony, but with all of his negative qualities and none of his redeeming ones. He was rude and crass, selfish, abrasive, arrogant, irreverent-

And despite all of that, Allen trusted Cross more than he had ever trusted Steve, and Cross, in turn, clearly knew Allen inside and out.

Steve couldn’t see how Allen could have spent any significant period of time with Cross and still come out as sweet as he did, but clearly he had, because they were so _comfortable_ with each other. Allen had no problem seeking affection from Steve – would touch him and hug him and sleep against his side or on his lap – but he interacted so _casually_ with Cross. Steve was seeing sides of Allen that he never would have dreamed existed in the two-year-old, and it was because of _Cross._ And Steve-

Steve was jealous, and he had no idea what to do about it.

He didn’t really know General Talbot, either, so he went with Allen when Cross took the boy to meet him. Allen didn’t seem to think much of this, but Cross kept smirking at him, and it set Steve’s teeth on edge every time he did it, which was… probably why he was doing it.

God, what was that man doing right that Steve couldn’t for the life of him figure out?

Talbot had arranged for the meeting to take place in an actual meeting room, so that was where they went. The journey might have been a lot more comfortable if Cross hadn’t kept pressing into Steve’s personal space every time Steve stepped away, under the guise of talking to Allen, who always, inevitably, would frown at Cross suspiciously but reply anyway.

And then they finally got there, and Steve took in the father of this irritating man.

Talbot was looking at them, a frown on his face that seemed more habitual than disapproving. His hands were folded on the table, and he was sitting with his back straight and head high. Talbot appeared to be mirroring Steve’s assessment, gaze sweeping over Steve himself and lingering briefly on Allen as well. Steve quashed a flash of protectiveness before it could come to fruition; if Talbot could have possibly meant any harm to Allen, this meeting wouldn’t be happening.

“Old man,” was Cross’ greeting to his father, and Steve felt a flash of sympathy for the older man. “This is Allen, my tiny apprentice – he was always small, but this is ridiculous.” After an exaggerated moment of consideration, he added, “Oh, and Rogers too.”

_Ugh._

Talbot raised an eyebrow at his son, but said mildly, “Good to meet you both – Allen, Captain.” He inclined his head slightly, indicating the chair beside him. “Sit down.”

Steve obeyed. Allen was squirming around in his arms, but stopped after a moment, indicating he’d resettled.

“It’s good to meet you too, General,” Steve greeted politely, watching Cross swing onto the table out of the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry for the delay, but we’ve had some security issues around the kids lately and we’re all a little tense still.”

The corner of Talbot’s mouth tipped up in a slight smirk of amusement which almost echoed Cross’. “I can understand security SNAFUs.” And then, to Allen, “I hear you put up with my son for right around five years. I can’t imagine how.”

“Me eithew,” Allen admitted with a giggle, and that was definitely a ‘let me down’ wriggle. Steve set him on the edge of the table, and if he kept holding his hand, Steve wasn’t afraid to admit he’d been a little protective lately, edging on, Tony would say, paranoid. And then, sounding delighted to a downright unholy level, “Sowwy you had to put up wit him fo longew.”

“Me too,” Talbot muttered, but Steve didn’t think he meant it, from the exasperated glance he sent at Cross, who, unsurprisingly, smirked back.

“Hey, fuck you too,” Cross said, and Steve bit back an admonition, because in this case, when he wasn’t defending Allen, it wasn’t his place.

Talbot just ignored him, anyway. “Now, these might not be the most ordinary of circumstances –” And Talbot glanced briefly at Steve, and then back to Allen. “-but it seems like it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get to know the kid Cross is so invested in.”

This time, possessiveness was the unfamiliar feeling Steve had to squash, and that unsettled him more than anything.

At least Allen was smiling. Steve could be happy about that much.

* * *

Within minutes of Steve’s leaving with Allen, Talbot asked Cross, brow arched, “Do you have some kind of problem with the Captain?”

“Nah,” Cross dismissed instantly. “He’s almost sickeningly virtuous.”

“Sickening is not a trait generally ascribed to virtuosity,” Talbot said halfheartedly. As expected, Cross ignored him.

“But he’s got issues, that’s for sure,” Cross added, and now he was frowning, a frown Talbot half-recognized as thoughtful and… scheming. “He might be the goddamn pinnacle of humanity or whatever the fuck, but that doesn’t make him fit to raise a kid. It certainly doesn’t make him fit to raise _Allen.”_

Talbot had to raise an eyebrow. “Got a lot of experience with that?” he asked dryly.

Cross scowled at him. “Don’t even think it,” the other man half-ordered. “I’m such a crap guardian it really isn’t funny.”

“You seem to have done alright with Allen,” Talbot judged mildly. “All things considered.”

Cross shook his head decisively. For someone so chronically arrogant, he sure had a good handle on his flaws. “Fuck, no. If he hadn’t been so independent a kid already, he would’ve been screwed. As it is, I fucked with him good. Kid hasn’t had a fit guardian in his life.” He waved vaguely. “This might be his lucky break, but I’m not counting on it, is all.”

That took Talbot a moment to process.

“Are you _evaluating_ Captain America to see if he’s fit to raise Allen?” he asked, half incredulous and half exasperated.

“Yep,” Cross confirmed, and he looked amused again even as Talbot despaired quietly. “The Widow seems alright, she has her head on straight, but the _oh-so-good_ Captain is practically delusional. If he has secret anger issues on top of it, I’m going to have to do something about it.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Talbot told Cross, and Cross smirked again. And then, more seriously, Talbot added, “I don’t think Allen would much appreciate being taken away. No matter how right you might be, he seems to have settled in alright.”

For a moment, Cross was silent, gazing at Talbot expressionlessly. Then-

“Yeah. I know. He’s an adaptable kid that way.” Lower and a little rougher, “But he has his limits.”

Yeah. And Talbot would bet that Cross knew every single one.

Cross, Talbot thought, was a much better guardian than he was giving himself credit for.


	52. Chapter 52

Five years olds were… not strong. This was a problem that Yuu was gradually learning to overcome. It was a little easier now that the beansprout was pulling his damn weight and figuring it out with him, but it was still ridiculous.

Yuu growled, eyes sparkling, and jumped up, latching onto Bucky’s elbow.

The sudden addition of his weight made Bucky yelp, shifting to keep Yuu from falling back down, and Yuu grinned, sly and playful. Bucky playfully scowled back down at him.

“You’ll never take me alive, villain!” Bucky told him, pinwheeling dramatically with his unoccupied arm and simultaneously veering toward the ground, threatening to bump Yuu’s dangling feet into it.

“I’ll take you down with my eyes closed!” Yuu countered, tugging hard and kicking his feet with the ultimate goal of moving further up Bucky’s arm. Bucky shifted his arm and also Yuu, and Yuu latched onto his shoulder and leaned up to whisper into his ear, “Nothing is safe from me, foolish one.”

“Oh no!” Bucky declared, and Yuu squirmed and latched his arms around Bucky’s neck to hang there, laughing quietly. Bucky clutched dramatically at the boy’s arms and stumbled around. “I’ve been caught! What shall I do now?”

“Give up!” Yuu challenged, glee and amusement in his voice. “There’s nothing left!”

“Never!” Bucky countered, even as he fell to his knees. Yuu squeaked at the sudden fall, but gamely held on. “I must-”

“Holy fuck, is this what you’ve been getting up to the past few years?”

Both of them looked up, distracted, Yuu’s smile already gone.

Cross was leaning on the doorway, in that falsely-languid pose that Kanda associated with him. Kanda abruptly felt self-conscious and irritated, and loosened his grip on Bucky’s neck, then dropped down entirely and turning to study Cross better.

Kanda didn’t like Cross. The man pissed him off; always had. He didn’t trust him as far as he could throw him – but he did, reluctantly, halfheartedly, respect him.

For one thing, this time around, the appearance of Cross had almost immediately prompted the return of the Allen Yuu remembered. That counted for something, in Yuu’s book. That counted for a lot, actually.

Still.

Cross looked tense, he noted with a slight, but deepening frown, reaching up to cross his arms. His gaze was sharp even as he continued to smirk, and Yuu thought he saw the glimpse of something dark under the man’s hair, on the right side of his face, before Cross spoke, distracting him.

“You know, word on the street is that you took care of your brat while you were still a brainwashed zombie.”

Yuu glanced over at Bucky, who wasn’t smiling either, now. “I don’t see what that has to do with you.”

Cross shrugged. “Nothing, I guess. Just sounds like a real trick.”

Yuu snorted. “You couldn’t even do it _not_ brainwashed,” he muttered spitefully.

Cross laughed. “Got that right, brat.” He pushed off the wall and strode forward, still stopping a few yards short of them, still looking amused. “My stupid apprentice is a real piece of work.”

Despite himself, Yuu’s mouth briefly twitched into a smirk. Yeah, that was Allen alright.

“So are you, from what I hear,” Bucky returned, not hiding the hint of hostility in his voice as he rose to his feet. Yuu understood. Not only was Cross an ass no matter _who_ you were, he’d been stirring up crap with Steve since he’d first arrived. And no one messed with Steve while Bucky was around. “You want something, or are you just here to cause trouble?”

Cross raised an eyebrow, smirking again. “Touchy,” he noted. “I’ve been poking around, and I wanted to talk to you about your patriotic blond friend.”

Bucky scowled. “What about _Steve?”_ he asked, emphasizing the absent man’s name pointedly. Cross ignored this.

“See,” Cross said offhandedly, gaze unwavering, “I’ve been keeping an eye on him and my idiot apprentice, and I have to admit I’m not real impressed so far.”

Yuu felt his heart drop, and before he consciously registered the desire to do so, he’d already spoken.

“You know sprout’s gonna break if he loses another family, right?”

Cross’ smirk was gone, and for some reason, Yuu was immensely disturbed by this. “You know the brat’s going to self-destruct if Steve fucking Rogers keeps smothering him, _right?”_ he countered, a mocking lilt tacked onto the last word.

Yuu’s mouth pulled into a scowl.

Yeah, he knew.

“Wait a damn moment, stop the fucking train,” Bucky said sharply, metaphorically sitting up and taking notice, complete with an intimidating half-step forward. “What the _hell_ are you saying? Steve’s been great with Allen. Kid loves him and Natasha to death.”

“Sure he does,” Cross agreed easily. “But how about you ask _Yuu_ how good the brat is about admitting to problems? Yeah?”

For a moment longer, Bucky kept scowling at Cross, and Yuu thought that he was going to disregard the man’s words entirely.

Then Bucky looked down at him, doubt and frustration scattered across his face, but the silent question there anyway. Yuu glanced briefly at him, then at Cross and back to him.

“One time,” Yuu said, haltingly, half his mind on trying to follow where Cross was going with this. Steve could figure the sprout out, couldn’t he? He wasn’t that stupid. “His Innocence broke down in the middle of a fight ‘cause he’d been using it too much. It’d been crumbling for weeks and he never said anything.” He hadn’t seen that recording personally, but Lenalee had told him about it. She’d been so upset.

“So it’s safe to say that Hell will freeze over before the little idiot admits to being unhappy,” Cross concluded, nodding to Bucky’s briefly alarmed expression. “Especially if it’s only a problem sometimes.”

Bucky looked back up, frowning at Cross. “What are you saying?” he repeated, at once more suspicious and more serious.

“You know him pretty well, right?” Cross prompted, and it took Yuu a moment to realize he was talking to Bucky, referring to Steve. “Get him to take those goddamn rose-colored lenses off his eyes for once. Allen isn’t a kid. He isn’t naïve. He definitely isn’t fucking gullible. And if Steve keeps acting like he is, something’s gonna give, and it won’t be pretty.”

A mask slid over Bucky’s eyes, the corners of his mouth turning downward. “I’ll think about it,” Bucky allowed at last. “As long as you keep your dirty hands off the three of them.”

The corner of Cross’ mouth turned back up in a smirk. “Heh. Yeah, sure.”

Yuu wasn’t real convinced of his sincerity, and from his scowl, Bucky wasn’t either.

* * *

Natasha was glad that Scott liked all the kids so much, she really was. It was very helpful when she and Steve needed a break, which was occasionally, or like now, when she needed to do something more easily done alone.

It hadn’t taken a week of the redheaded man being around before Natasha realized that the man was very nearly on par with her in terms of ability to manipulate, and easily as inclined to use it – possibly more so. It was impressive that it had taken even that long to gauge that ability and inclination both.

The _activities_ that had tipped her off were not nearly as much so.

Cross was currently in the SHIELD lab, alone at the moment – Fitzsimmons had taken a break for lunch, though they were probably still discussing their work, and Tony was helping Lavi with the boy’s ever-ongoing project.

The man looked up as she approached, and a scowl immediately overtook his face. At the same time, both of them spoke.

“What the fuck did Marlisa do to my apprentice?”

“Bucky told me what you said to him.”

Their gazes met, each as steely and uncompromising as the other. After a long moment, though, Natasha inclined her head slightly, and replied, voice clipped and terse.

“When we found him, he was locked in a cupboard, bruised, and malnourished enough that he was too weak to walk. We found out later that she was an alcoholic-” She saw Cross flinch and was not surprised. “-and openly abusive. She didn’t seem to think of him as human.”

It was an actual effort, not to clench her fists, to leave, to go right around to the connections she knew Coulson had, would exploit if she asked, and make sure Marlisa got a far worse punishment than prison.

“Same old for my unfortunate apprentice,” Cross muttered under his breath, but the attempt at carelessness was cursory at best as he stepped up and started pacing, gaze stormy and scowl fierce. Then, _“Fuck._ What the fuck.” He spun around, turning on Natasha. “Where is she?”

“Prison,” Natasha answered without missing a beat.

Cross ground his teeth. “Not good enough,” he snapped.

“It’s good enough for the law,” Natasha countered; on an emotional level, she agreed with Cross, but she wouldn’t risk what she had for petty revenge.

Besides, no matter what he said, Steve would probably disapprove, so she’d rather not do anything personally. Cross, on the other hand…

She studied him for a moment as he scowled and ground his teeth and paced back and forth, growling under his breath. When she’d had enough, she cleared her throat.

“Bucky,” she prompted. When he just scowled at her, she continued, “Allen. Steve. Problems. Ring a bell?”

Cross rolled his eyes, but he also relaxed a little. Thank God he was apparently reasonably good at compartmentalizing. This could have gotten troublesome otherwise.

“You know your husband has issues,” he said bluntly. “You’re a creepy superspy, and worse, you fucking _married_ him. There’s no way in hell you don’t know.”

“Of course I know,” Natasha replied coolly.

She knew. Steve had trouble admitting when he had difficulty, and he tended to see things the way he wanted to see them. But these were reasonable flaws to have, and she tried not to abuse her skills. Especially not with Steve.

“Why, in exact terms,” Natasha continued, pacing forward a few steps to circle closer to the exorcist, “is that a massive problem in this case?”

Allen was unusual. She’d noted some tendencies towards deception and self-deprecation already. But, unless Cross was blowing things up unimaginably, this indicated something more serious.

“It’s a problem,” Cross said tersely, scowling again, “because the brat goddamn _thrives_ off being underestimated, but it sure as hell doesn’t do him any good when he needs help. And that’s what you two want to do.” He raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it?”

“Thrives off it?” Natasha asked intently, ignoring the question; Cross knew the answer already.

“Ha ha,” Cross snorted, taking a step back. _Discussion over,_ he projected. _No more info for you._ “What, you don’t want to find out for yourself?”

Natasha cocked an eyebrow, tipping her head slightly. “Well, this is a safety issue,” she said mildly, pursuing her lips in concern. “I’d hate to leave it longer than necessary.”

“Better figure him out fast, then,” Cross threw back almost immediately.

Natasha sighed. “Well, I am good at that,” she admitted, with a hint of humor. Her gaze flicked briefly over him. “Still…” She met his gaze. “He’s very vulnerable. A lot could happen in the time it takes.”

Cross laughed aloud. _“Vulnerable,_ fuck. I think I overestimated you. You make him sound like a babe in the woods, Widow.”

“He’s a little manipulative,” Natasha allowed. “Not, I think, like you or me.”

“No,” Cross snorted. “He’s _worse.”_

Natasha smiled, and for a moment, neither of them spoke; Cross’ words floated in the air.

Cross blinked, and then scowled at her. She let a slight smirk flash across her lips, there and gone in an instant.

“Thank you,” she said politely. “That was very helpful.”

“Fuck, you _deserve_ the brat,” Cross muttered. A moment of hesitation, and then, “That’s good. He doesn’t worry that much, when people don’t see it.” Pointed look. “But he’s not honest with ‘em either.”

Natasha almost started. That was a more sincere response than she’d anticipated. “And until now?” she asked, somewhat wary.

“He was damaged,” Cross allowed. “He wasn’t himself, really.” Pause. “That’s not true anymore.”

Natasha considered, understood _‘your adjustment period is over’,_ and then said, more sincerely this time, said, “Thank you.”

“Whatever,” Cross sniped, scowling a little again.

She was more amused than she maybe should have been.

* * *

Adults, Lenalee noticed, were surprisingly unsubtle when distracting children. Even now, knowing the things they knew – it was like they didn’t think they would notice.

Lenalee and Allen had overheard half an impromptu discussion about increasing HYDRA activity before a significant look had sent Scott, currently in charge of them, and Mack, providing unofficial backup, away with them, into another room.

Scott had almost instantly suggested a game of tag, and though she and Allen had both agreed, she knew it hadn’t escaped either of them what was really going on.

It was still fun, of course.

Lenalee cast a bright-eyed grin over her shoulder at Mack, chasing after her in slow motion with his arms raised and waving, an entirely too amused expression on his face. Off to one side, Allen, captured by Scott, was shrieking and squirming with laughter, a victim of merciless tickling.

She turned on a dime and dove between Mack’s legs, and he had to move rapidly so that she didn’t plow into them. She giggled and kept running, and heard Allen’s frantic giggles fade into panting as he was let go.

“Len’lee!” Allen called, and she turned on her heel again to glance at him. He grinned at her, silver eyes sparkling, and glanced pointedly at Mack, and then at her.

It took her a moment, but then her grin widened and she bobbed her head once. Neither adult even noticed the exchange, and both kids took off toward Mack, who still looked patiently amused and utterly unsuspecting. Excellent.

Lenalee reached up and latched onto Mack’s arm, using her weight to pull him down the best she could, and then Allen added his weight onto the same, clinging. Then, together, they tugged.

Mack went down laughing.

Allen grinned at her, and she grinned back. Then Allen moved to clamber on top of Mack, effectively (if temporarily) pinning him down, and Lenalee reached to his armpit and tickled him, eyes glittering gleefully. The reaction was instantaneous.

“Holy shi-” Mack caught himself and shoved her hand away, shaking his head, still laughing. “Get offa me, you crazy kids. This is mutiny.”

Allen was giggling harder than Mack, and Lenalee was laughing, Mack struggled to heave himself up, but Allen had looped his good arm around the man’s neck, and Lenalee was latched onto one of his legs, tugging at the lace of his shoe.

“Scott, man, help me out here!” Mack protested, shaking his head and trying to escape without hurting either of the two toddlers.

“I don’t know,” Scott snickered, almost bent double with cackling. “I’m enjoying the view from over here.”

“Dude!” Mack protested. Allen leaned up and blew a raspberry onto his neck. “Ugh, gross,” Mack complained, shaking himself. Allen shrieked, and Lenalee’s giggles got louder. “I’m stuck. This is ridiculous.”

“You are stuck,” Scott agreed, finally recovering enough to approach, a face-splitting grin on his face. Lenalee glanced at Allen, and Allen’s expression brightened.

The instant Scott got within range, up the two toddlers went, and down Scott came.

“Your turn,” Mack said, pushing away, eyes light with amusement at Scott’s comically astonished expression. “I feel like someone should’ve warned me that those two _conspire.”_

Both kids giggled.

They hadn’t forgotten what was happening – what could happen – but it was nice to play in spite of it.

It made things brighter.


	53. Chapter 53

“Mack got hurt?”

Lenalee saw the corner of Melinda’s lip twitch down at Lenalee’s high-pitched response. But for the most part, her face stayed straight as she nodded, crouched down in front of the toddler with her hand cupped around the back of Lenalee’s neck, warm and reassuring. “Hive has Daisy brainwashed somehow,” she explained, her gaze steady on Lenalee’s wide-eyed one. “Mack tried to bring her in, but she… resisted.”

Lenalee bit her lip. “Mommy… Is Daisy comin’ home?”

Instantly, she regretted asking; that was a bad question no matter the circumstances. Even if there was a chance, it made people’s minds turn toward the possibility of otherwise, and if there wasn’t-

This time, Melinda couldn’t stop her face from twisting into a slight grimace. Lenalee winced, but before she could say anything, Melinda admitted, “I don’t know, baby girl. Mack thinks so.”

Lenalee frowned slightly, registering the tightness around Melinda’s eyes, and felt her heart clench unhappily – Melinda was scared, too, and it made it at once worse and better. Either way, it was familiar enough that Lenalee felt almost at home responding to it.

Lenalee rocked forward and hugged Melinda around her neck. “It’ll be ‘kay,” Lenalee mumbled into her ear, squeezing gently.

Melinda brought her hand up to hold Lenalee’s arm, steadying her, and smiled, slight and wry. “Of course it will,” Melinda said firmly. “Now, Coulson is going to hold a meeting about what happened. Will you be okay coming in with me?”

Lenalee nodded, and then let go so that Melinda could straighten up and start heading for the door. Melinda was tall; Lenalee recalled dimly that she’d be almost that tall herself one day, but for now, it was a struggle to keep up, even if it was one she enjoyed.

“Who be there?” Lenalee asked, scurrying after her with her head tipped back to keep her eyes on Melinda.

“Coulson, General Talbot, and Captain Rogers,” Melinda replied. “Coulson says that information can be disseminated from there.”

Lenalee nodded. “What ‘bout Allen?”

“Do you think Allen can handle it?” Melinda asked, with a dubious edge to her voice. Lenalee understood; perhaps as little as two weeks ago, maybe he couldn’t have.

Now, though, Lenalee smiled. “Yeah. He’s better now.”

“So you’ve said,” Melinda said dryly, but she was smiling slightly. “You’ve been happier yourself.”

Lenalee hummed her confirmation, because as difficult as Cross was, his arrival might have been the best thing for them (and especially for Allen, whose relationship with his master had always been strange), but that was the end of it, because they came across Coulson, standing with Steve, who was speaking to Allen.

“We’re going to be discussing some touchy topics, so I’ll ask someone else to look after you while I’m occupied. Does that sound alright, Allen?”

Lenalee started – Steve wanted to leave Allen out of this? She shot Coulson a confused glance, and found the man frowning slightly, but not objecting, glancing down at Allen and back up to Steve.

Allen was frowning; Lenalee would guess that he wasn’t particularly surprised by this, but he didn’t look happy with it, either. As she watched, he reached up and tugged at Steve’s sleeve, drawing the attention that was already on him. His thoughtful frown melted into a wide-eyed, pleading look.

Lenalee held her breath. Not that she lacked faith in Allen, God knew how many times she’d seen him at work, but-

“I wowwied,” Allen insisted, keeping his gaze locked to Steve’s, leaning on him. “I like Mack an’ I like Daisy. Can I stay? Pwease?”

Steve’s mouth twitched uncertainly, his brow furrowing unhappily. “It would be irresponsible of me,” he said, genuine concern written across his face. “I wouldn’t want to upset you.”

“I be ‘kay!” Allen insisted, as earnest as Steve ever was. “An’ quiet! Won’ botew you.”

“You’re never a bother,” Steve said, apparently on automatic; it earned a patient smile from Allen, one Lenalee recognized as saying ‘that’s sweet even though I don’t believe you.’ And then, slowly, “I suppose you _have_ been doing better recently…”

Allen nodded eagerly, then tugged again, lightly. “Pwease?” he repeated hopefully, drawing out the word in a lilting tone halfway between teasing and hopeful.

Steve sighed, laughed at little, and smiled at Allen, shaking his head a little. “Alright, Allen. But let me know the moment you feel overwhelmed, okay?”

Someday, these people were going to figure out that having the exorcists there was a security issue, and then they were going to be in trouble. (Actually, Lenalee suspected that Melinda already knew and just didn’t care, but that was beside the point.)

Allen broke out into a beaming grin. “Tank you!”

Coulson coughed, badly hiding a laugh, and Lenalee muffled her own giggle against Melinda’s leg, because Allen had just thoroughly played Steve, and that was always, always funny.

“Now that that’s cleared up,” Coulson said, a hint of dry humor twisting through his tone, “perhaps we can move on in. General Talbot is waiting, after all.”

Steve glanced up from Allen and winced, smiling sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I probably should’ve cleared that with you first.”

Coulson chuckled. “May never did,” he said dryly, and Lenalee giggled, because she didn’t doubt that for a moment.

Steve looked over at Lenalee, only a little surprised. “Oh, are you coming as well?” he asked Lenalee, who bobbed her head, hiding an amused smile. “Won’t you and Allen be bored?”

“Nah,” Lenalee dismissed with a bright smile that made Steve smile back, and took a page from Allen’s book by refusing to elaborate. Melinda glanced down at her, and Lenalee turned the bright smile on her.

Coulson cleared his throat, and Lenalee saw Melinda roll her eyes, but she still followed the man when he started moving on, with Steve just a step behind him. Allen fell back to walk by Lenalee, jogging a little to keep up.

“Di’ youw mom say anyting?” he asked her, quiet enough to not draw attention. She shrugged.

“Nothin’ you probably didn’ hear.” Her brow creased in worry. “Mack’s hurt.”

Allen’s face fell, but he nodded, worry gleaming in his silver eyes. “Daisy,” he confirmed, dismay and concern wrapping around his high-pitched voice.

“Daisy,” Lenalee agreed, matching his tone almost inflection for inflection.

They reached the meeting room, and Talbot rolled his eyes when he saw the children.

“Goddamn nursery around here,” the man muttered, but didn’t actually say anything against it. (Lenalee really wanted to know how Talbot had survived raising Cross, because she could see no way that possibly could have gone well.)

They settled around the table, and Allen tugged Lenalee under the table. Catching his reasoning, Lenalee followed – she preferred to sit at the table and feel like a participant, but Allen’s style was more to stay quiet and eavesdrop.

Steve smiled fondly and didn’t say anything against it, and Melinda quirked an eyebrow at her but let it pass when Lenalee just gave her a cheerful smile.

“So, Coulson,” Talbot said briskly, apparently to begin the meeting. “What, in exact terms, happened out there?”

Coulson sighed, and under the table, Allen and Lenalee pressed against each other, both listening carefully, perfectly still.

“Daisy showed up on the facial recognition system,” he explained, voice resigned. “Mack thought she subconsciously wanted to be found and argued for a rescue party. No luck on that front, but we managed to gather some intel.”

Though she couldn’t see him, Lenalee could hear in his voice that the smile had dropped from Steve’s face. “How bad is it?”

Lenalee bit her lip, throat tightening, and felt Allen tense behind her.

“He should be fine in a couple weeks,” Coulson said, a hint of strain in his voice.

Lenalee sighed, strangling the relieved giggle that wanted to escape, and reached up to brush away the tears that came far too easily. She felt Allen shift against her, his shoulder nudging hers reassuringly, and she nudged back, smiling even as she rubbed at her cheek.

“What did we find out, Coulson?” Melinda prompted, tension threading through her voice as well.

While Coulson set about explaining the new events – about another Inhuman with the power to cause explosions, a plan to take all Inhumans in the same way they taken Daisy, and Lincoln’s _mishap_ with the untested anti-brainwash counter-formula – Lenalee listened, occasionally squirming in worry or fear or in response to Allen doing similar.

Then Coulson said, “Hive’s ultimate plan…” He paused – whether for effect or to brace himself, Lenalee could never tell with Coulson – and then, low, continued, “Is to release something into the air that will transform all of humanity into Inhumans.”

Lenalee inhaled sharply, and she felt Allen stiffen against her back, his breath hitching in fear. She reached back to twine her hand into his, and he squeezed, almost radiating anxiety.

Lenalee hadn’t seen much of the Inhumans who passed through Daisy’s Theta Protocol, but she knew they’d been scared, all of them. And she knew, firsthand, what it was like to be dropped into a situation that you were so utterly unprepared for, with abilities you don’t understand, and implications that were so much bigger than you could comprehend-

Allen squeezed again, pressed back against her, and turned his head. She turned hers back to his, so they could just look at each other from the corners of their eyes, and he whispered, “It won’ happen.”

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded.

No, it wouldn’t happen. Coulson wouldn’t let it, Melinda wouldn’t let it, the _Avengers_ wouldn’t let it.

When she opened her eyes again, Allen was smiling at her, even as the adults made their own fuss above them, hands occasionally colliding with the table and voices raised.

“What can we do about it?” Steve asked at last, voice cutting across Talbot’s half-rant, deadly serious and ready for anything.

Melinda, Lenalee noticed, had been quiet, though she knew better than to mistake that for apathy. Allen shifted away from Lenalee to stand up and toddle toward Steve – not quite into the man’s line of sight, but a little closer. Paying attention, Lenalee guessed.

“They’ll be firing a missile,” Coulson explained, tapping his finger against the table restlessly. “We’ll need to find out where it is and when they’re planning to fire it. With Daisy’s hacking ability, they’d be able to get into just about anywhere.”

“I’ll find out what I can,” Talbot said at last, irritation wrapped tight around his voice.

“Any known ties to HYDRA, aside from the obvious?” Melinda asked, voice characteristically clipped and terse.

“None that we know of,” Coulson admitted. “But there’s still time. I doubt Ward’s ready to let go of Hive, if he worked so hard to get at it.”

Melinda let out a soft hiss, and Lenalee flinched. Allen spun around, giving her a worried look, and she ducked her head, pressing her palms against the floor as if that would help her.

“Ward’s been very busy lately,” Melinda commented, icy now.

“The new HYDRA leader, isn’t he?” Talbot checked, and then, pointedly, “One of your former men.”

“That’s true,” Coulson acknowledged – whether he was speaking to Melinda or Talbot, Lenalee couldn’t guess. Probably both. “We’re trying to keep an eye on him, but, as expected, it’s rather difficult.”

“You know you have our help if you ask for it,” Steve told Coulson seriously, a hint of concern edging his tone.

“Of course,” Coulson agreed, and then, “We’ve known he’d be problematic for a while, but he’s causing more issues than… originally anticipated.”

“You can say it,” Melinda said coolly. “You didn’t think he’d go after Lenalee.”

Coulson’s fingertips rattled against the tabletop. “I didn’t,” he admitted after a moment. “But he has. Combined with his determination to gather metahumans of all kinds, it would be… best, if he never knew about her.” There was a brief pause, and Lenalee went still. “Wait.”

“For someone who is determined to gather metahumans,” Melinda continued, apparently in agreement, noticeably tense, “how convenient would it be… if there were suddenly many more of them?”

“What are the odds,” Talbot asked, terse, “that HYDRA has missiles of their own?”

Pause.

“Almost certain,” Steve said at last, wary and a little frustrated. He muttered a curse under his breath, sounding tired, and then said, “How secure is the intel on the kids?”

“The file on the _exorcists,”_ Coulson said, a little pointed, “was secured by Stark, except for some that Cross Talbot deemed too sensitive for Stark’s eyes; that’s on paper.”

Allen perked up, visibly interested and a little concerned, and Lenalee looked up as well, curious.

“What’s so sensitive even _Stark_ can’t see it?” Steve asked, distracted. “After all, he could just ask Lavi and find out.”

“Unless,” Melinda countered, “Lavi didn’t want to tell him.”

Allen tilted his head, silver eyes turning confused, and Lenalee had to admit. What on _Earth_ had they found out from Cross that Lavi wouldn’t sooner tell Tony? Lavi told Tony _lots._

“Not all of their enemies were creatures, Captain,” Coulson explained. “Cross didn’t think that the kids would much want their parents to see the records of… some of the things they did before.”

Steve was very still, and Allen was frozen – for a moment. Then he whipped around, wide eyes finding Lenalee, who was almost paralyzed with terror, breathing too quickly and with tears budding in her eyes.

No! No, she didn’t want her mother to know about that- about Sheryl, about what she’d done to him, _God_ knew how much Cross had told them about it. She didn’t want Melinda to know about that.

She was crying, she realized after a moment, silently, and then Allen was in front of her, anxious eyes meeting hers and his good hand on her shoulder, earnest and worried.

“We find ‘em,” Allen whispered, certain and determined, just as he’d always been. Because he wouldn’t want Steve to know, either, Steve or Natasha, about Fiidora or Tyki or the Earl who’d almost been- “We tell Lavi an’ Yuu, an’ we find ‘em.”

Lenalee forced herself to steady, forced her breathing to even out, and nodded.

“This was Cross’ decision?” Steve asked after a moment, unable to quite keep the distaste out of his voice. “Are you sure that’s wise?”

“I’ve seen the file myself,” Coulson replied without missing a beat, and Lenalee flinched. “And honestly… Yeah. I do.”

Steve took a deep breath and let it out, obviously frustrated. But then he forcibly realigned himself. “If they’re that secure, then our priority is on the missile,” he said at last, noticeably strained but also clearly resigned to it.

And both Allen and Lenalee relaxed.

Allen patted Lenalee’s shoulder and gave her a bright smile, and she smiled back, hitching out a quiet laugh as the tension drained out of her, because they could deal with this, too. Of course they could.

Allen turned around and hovered around near Steve again, listening attentively, and Lenalee pretended not to exist so as to help Melinda forget a little bit about what she’d just heard, though it was a halfhearted hope at best.

The adults discussed plans over their heads, debating and throwing out ideas and alternatives, and finally, when the meeting was drawing to a close, Allen poked his head out, tugged on Steve’s sleeve, and asked,

“Miwanda an’ Noise?”

Lenalee started. Allen was right; while she, Lavi, Yuu, and Allen were okay, Cross could take care of himself, and even Link probably had a massive amount of invisible security around him, Miranda and Noise were out in the open, if anyone ever found out what they could do. Klaud, of course, was too, but she hadn’t activated just yet, so Lenalee could hold to the hope she’d be okay.

Steve looked down at Allen and gave him the same fond, familiar smile. “They’ll be fine, little angel,” he promised. “I promise.”

Lenalee was in just the right to see Allen’s expression change. His hand tightened in Steve’s sleeve, and his brow furrowed in something like confusion. A moment later, clarity washed over it, and his silver eyes dimmed. He made a small, frustrated noise, not letting go, and then a higher, more upset one that made Steve reached for his hand in concern.

Lenalee could guess at what he was upset about – because this was important, but talking was hard sometimes and talking when you were upset was harder, and Allen wasn’t sure he could do it. He’d try, of course, because he was Allen, but-

She frowned, and popped up on Steve’s other side, the fingers of one hand wrapping around the leg of his chair. “They _not_ safe,” she said pointedly, keeping her eyes off Allen by force of will. “They ac-ti-vated, so it obvious, an’ they _alone.”_

Steve blinked, startled, and then a thoughtful frown appeared on his face, which meant he was at least listening.

Allen, on Steve’s other side, relaxed and nodded in agreement, giving her a small, grateful smile, apparently satisfied with Lenalee’s explanation. After a moment of thought, Steve smiled again.

“They’ll be fine,” Steve repeated, moving his hand from Allen’s over to ruffle Allen’s hair.

Allen scowled, there and gone in half a second, and let go to duck away, back under the table. Steve was left surprised all over again, and then he sighed, smiled ruefully, and said,

“Come back over when you’re ready.”

And then he went back over the table.

Lenalee followed Allen’s example and withdrew, looking over to meet his gaze, confused. ‘What?’ she mouthed, feeling an echo of Allen’s frustration and more than a little worry on top of it.

Allen reached to press his left arm against his chest, gaze dropping to the ground. “I no’ _two,”_ he said insistently, under his breath so the adults wouldn’t hear. “I not!”

“You’re not,” Lenalee agreed, moving over to sit by him again, facing the same way this time. She tilted her head a little, frowning. “Steve…” She trailed off, unable to think of what to say.

Allen huffed a little, but didn’t move otherwise, tight and tense.

“It’s worth discussing,” Talbot commented, and both Allen and Lenalee relaxed, because right now, the word of an adult was worth much, much more than either of theirs. “Are there any security measures in place already?”

“Not really,” Melinda commented, and Lenalee didn’t need to look to hear the frown in her voice. “Coulson?”

“I’ll get on it,” he promised. “Lenalee raised some good points. I should have thought of it.”

Talbot ‘hmph’ed. “She did, didn’t she? Starting to see what Cross meant.”

Allen made a small sound of confusion beside her. “Wha’ did Mastew say?” he muttered, sounding almost petulant, and Lenalee giggled softly.

“Well, he knows,” she pointed out quietly.

Allen paused, and then he sighed. “Yeah,” he murmured.

“About what?” Steve asked, almost instantly suspicious.

“You and Allen,” Talbot said, something like mild and something like accusatory.

“I don’t think,” Steve said coolly, “that he knows much about us at all.”

“I didn’t think you would,” Talbot agreed.

Lenalee looked over at Allen, worried now – Allen had been happy before, but it hadn’t been _obvious_ before – and saw him looking back, half-helpless and half-frustrated.

“We do someting,” Allen assured her, soft and anxious. “We figuwe it out.”

Lenalee took a breath and nodded. “Careful,” she murmured.

“Careful,” Allen echoed.


	54. Chapter 54

“What’s your dad’s problem?” Lavi murmured to Allen, turning a plastic bridge over in his hands with a frown.

Allen ‘mm’ed unhappily and stuck a right curve onto the end of the train track, silver eyes pensive. After a moment, he asked Lavi, seemingly apropos of nothing, “Does Tony tweat you like a kid?”

Lavi tilted his head and frowned. On Allen’s other side, Yuu stopped, his own frown deep enough to almost be a scowl, and glanced up at Lavi pointedly, one hand still firmly atop one of the trains.

Lavi knew he hadn’t been around much the last few days – Tony had seemed intent on keeping him away from the grumpy Steve, and Lavi couldn’t really blame him, considering the man’s own experiences – but surely he hadn’t missed that much, had he?

“Sometimes,” Lavi said at last, keeping his voice quiet. “I mean, not a _lot,_ not like you would a real five year old. But I think he forgets how old I was.” He shrugged. “Not enough to matter.”

Tony was good about it. He listened to Lavi, he paid attention, and he considered his words, as if Lavi was, if not an adult, at least a teenager. On the other hand, he tended to hover as if Lavi was a real child, and forget that Lavi was responsible enough to not do stupid things.

It was a mixed bag. But it wasn’t a _problem._

“Does this have anything to do with why Bucky and Dad are teaming up on Steve?” Lavi asked suddenly.

Because that was what had happened; actually, that was what the three of them were across the room pretending not to notice. Steve was sandwiched between Bucky and Tony on the couch, and all of them looked deadly serious. Well, Bucky and Tony looked deadly serious; Steve looked tired, frustrated, and beleaguered. And grumpy.

Allen ‘mm’ed again, and Lavi regretted deeply that being a two-year-old had given Allen, like, three times as many evasive tactics. It was hard enough to get stuff out of him when he was socially required to talk, let alone when he wasn’t.

(He couldn’t bring himself to regret that Allen was himself enough to employ those tactics, though.)

The three of them had done their part to make it a little easier on Steve by moving across the room, out of hearing range but well within sight, and start working on building a train track together. Lavi wasn’t sure how much it helped, but eh. They tried.

“The bear always understood,” Yuu said at last, voice low, focused on Lavi. “He’s trying to help Steve get it like he does.” He snorted. “Steve’s stubborn, though.”

“There’s more than enough of that to go around,” Lavi commented cheerfully, but his smile flickered, and he glanced back at Allen. More honestly, he asked, “How are you doing?”

Allen bit his lip and shrugged, but after a moment, he said, “Don’ know. I mean, he was ‘kay before Mastew help me ge’ bettew, and I haven’ been bettew long, so I guess he migh’ jus’ not’ve noticed. But I _don’ know.”_

Lavi’s smile faded into a solemn look. “It’ll be fine,” he said quietly, with confidence he didn’t feel. “You’ll see.”

“My dad and Tony and Nat will screw his head on straight,” Yuu offered, visibly uncomfortable. “Should get it through his thick skull.”

Allen giggled softly, and for a few moments, they worked on the train set together. Finally, Allen added the last piece, completing the loop with a ‘click’, and hesitated. Lavi frowned.

“Sprout?” he asked.

Allen looked up, and he wasn’t smiling; his eyes were serious, and clearer in the way that meant with any of them that they were thinking more like an adult than a child. Across from Lavi, Yuu went still, probably noticing the same thing.

“Lena an’ I sat in on a meeting yestewday,” Allen said at last, voice quieter than ever. Lavi had to almost strain to meet it.

Lavi perked up, eyes widening slightly. “About Hive, right?” he asked instantly.

Allen nodded. “But tha’ latew,” he said firmly. “’Cause we can’ help with that. Thewe was someting else. Someting ‘bout _us.”_

Yuu’s eyes narrowed. “I thought Cross was supposed to be _good_ at keeping secrets,” he snapped, keeping his voice low in deference to the heated conversation on the opposite side of the room. “What the hell did he tell them?”

Allen winced and his gaze drop to the floor, and Lavi felt his apprehension grow.

“’Bout the Noah,” Allen said after a moment, and his gaze lifted again to give Yuu a pointed look. “An’ how they died.”

There was a brief pause, and then Yuu cursed, and Lavi couldn’t keep himself from flinching a little. If there was one thing he didn’t want Tony to know-

“So they know?” Yuu asked, nearly croaked, and his eyes were wide and alarmed.

Instantly, Allen shook his head, and Lavi felt a rush of welcome relief. Not yet. Not yet.

“Coulson does,” Allen said softly. “But they kept it secwet – safe. In a file.”

“Probably in Coulson’s office,” Lavi judged, quiet and terse, thinking fast. “Locked, I’d bet. Unlabeled, but close at hand. Not with anything else, since most of the stuff on us is digital. I bet he has a whole thing, a drawer or a box, of top-secret files. Maybe a couple, but this is new, so it’d probably be in a part-empty one.”

Allen nodded slightly, eyes on Lavi now.

“We can’t let it stay,” Lavi continued, without even missing a beat, heart thudding in his chest.

Yuu nodded, short and sharp, and Lavi wondered the same thing Yuu probably was-

Was Alma on that list, too?

“Got an idea,” Allen said softly, and Yuu smiled mirthlessly at the same time Lavi did.

“I’m listening,” Lavi returned, smile fading as soon as it had come.

* * *

Tony noticed that the kids were being a little quieter than usual, a little less energetic, but he figured that that was because of the tension that was filling the room until Tony felt like he was going to give in to the suffocating pressure and implode.

On the other hand, he felt less uncomfortable than Steve looked. Fair trade, since Steve was the whole reason they were here.

Why had Bucky thought Tony would be of help here, again?

“-just kids,” Steve repeated, not for the first or even the hundredth time, sounding frustrated, probably, knowing him, with himself as much as the two of them. “They play like kids, they cry like kids, they laugh like kids - God, Bucky, I don’t know what you’re expecting.”

Bucky glanced up at Tony briefly, giving him a Look – _get a load of this guy,_ he told Tony silently, _blind as a goddamn bat –_ which Tony had only ever seen him exchange with Steve and sometimes Natasha before, so that was… something. Warm, something.

(Tony didn’t like feeling out of place on the team, but things hadn’t been quite right since the Ultron incident. It was getting better, though.)

“Sure,” Bucky agreed easily, bumping Steve with his shoulder. It made Steve relax a little, but it just made him look slightly less frustrated and slightly more tired. “They _are_ kids, sometimes. But memories don’t just stand on their own, Stevie, you know that – you’ve always known that. You think Natasha was ever a kid?”

“No,” Steve said instantly, sounding startled. The furrow in his brow deepened. “No, I wouldn’t have. But I bet she didn’t act like one.” He sat up a little. “You aren’t saying-”

“Nowhere near that bad,” Tony interrupted, waving dismissively at Steve’s strained look over. “Honestly, even your blind old-man eyes wouldn’t have missed that, no way. But they remembering not being kids, and they remember all the shit they went through – that’s gonna have some sort of effect, capiche, Captain?”

“You aren’t making any _sense,”_ Steve snapped, tense all over again. His fist clenched and unclenched over his knee. “You keep saying they’re kids, and then that they’re not. Make up your mind.”

“Welcome to reincarnation 101,” Tony replied, the corners of his lips quirking up in tired amusement.

Steve scowled faintly, clearly not amused, and Tony let his smile fade.

“I want to give him a fresh start,” Steve said at last, letting a hint of pensive vulnerability slip past his ever-present know-no-pain façade. Then, completely sincerely, “He deserves it.”

“’Course,” Bucky agreed, with a roll of his eyes. “But you know what? That’s just not possible.” At Steve’s sharp look, he snorted and elaborated, “He’s not going to _forget,_ Steve. He _can’t_ turn into a blank slate, any more than Yuu can, or Lavi, or you or me. It’s not possible. You gotta work with what you have.” He quirked an eyebrow up. “If you managed it with me, you can damn well do it with him.”

The strain around Steve’s eyes changed a little, just enough to make way for a little sadness, but also, Tony thought, a little bit of regretful comprehension.

Finally, the boneheaded captain understands something.

“What are you suggesting?” Steve asked after a moment, voice rough. “I knew you before. I wouldn’t even know where to start otherwise.”

“Cross,” Tony pointed out, wondering if Steve was, actually, genuinely that dumb. But no – Steve was a lot of things, but he wasn’t dumb. He just could really, really hold a grudge when he wanted to. At Steve’s scowl, he rolled his eyes. “You might not like the guy, but it sounds like he knows Allen better than anybody. Talk to him, Captain Genius. Boom, instant baseline.” Or something.

 _“Cross_ isn’t anything like a fit guardian,” Steve snapped, fists clenching again and staying that way this time. “He’s immature, selfish, materialistic, antagonistic-”

Steve ranting about someone that wasn’t Tony. Amazing.

“Sounds a lot like me,” Tony said idly, and wasn’t lying. He’d bet Cross was an interesting person, when he wasn’t sowing chaos and discord. Which, if you listened to Lavi, was possibly never.

“He’s _worse,”_ Steve bit out, looking epically bitchy.

“What about the other kids, then?” Bucky pressed, casting Tony a warning look. Give a guy _one_ bit of good advice they just didn’t want to hear- “The way Yuu talks about them, the four of them were pretty damn close.”

“And the way Lavi tells it, Allen and Yuu were best friends,” Tony popped in, glancing briefly at Bucky. “Really weird best friends who fought all the damn time and then some, but still.”

“Like fathers, like sons,” Bucky said, lips quirking into a flash of a smile.

Steve’s expression quivered indecisively for a moment, and then firmed. Tony just had time for his stomach to drop unpleasantly before- “It’s my and Nat’s responsibility,” Steve said firmly, with his patented Stubborn Face on. “We agreed to adopt him, and he had a lot of issues even before all this. We worked through those with him, and we can handle this too. We don’t need to upset the kids about it.”

There _was_ no before all this. What part of that wasn’t Steve getting?

“He’s gotten a lot better since you found him,” Bucky acknowledged with a nod. “You and Natasha’ve done great, Stevie, no one’s saying you haven’t. But.” His face turned serious again. “It was Cross who tipped him over to where even the kids were satisfied, though. You know why? _He knows him better.”_

The temporary beleaguered calm that had enabled the two of them to start getting through to Steve fell away, and Steve was bristling again, eyes flashing just at the _mention_ of Cross.

“Are you saying Nat and I are incapable?” he asked sharply, knuckles visibly white.

Bucky stared at Steve until Steve looked guilty. Tony appreciated this ability.

“You know I’m not,” Bucky said, when he was satisfied. “But if you’re still doing _perfectly_ well, why is Allen mad at you?”

Tony started slightly, and Bucky tipped his head slightly toward him in confirmation without taking his eyes off Steve. He hadn’t noticed that. Why hadn’t he noticed that?

…Right. He hadn’t really taken the time to check Allen’s new baseline attitude, either. Now he felt like a hypocrite. Good thing Steve wasn’t paying him any attention.

Sure enough, that was enough to stop Steve short, and his fists loosened. He didn’t take his blue eyes off Bucky, and Tony was glad not to be faced with the surely earnest-and-distressed expression that Bucky was so bravely taking the brunt of.

“I think he’s mad at me for something I said yesterday,” Steve admitted after a moment. “But I’m not sure what.”

“Figure it out,” Bucky advised, because he was very helpful sometimes.

“I just…” Steve reached up and rubbed at his forehead, and Tony sympathized, he really did, but Steve seriously needed to get his shit together. Steve exhaled. “Can you look after them for a bit? I need a minute.”

“Sure thing, princess,” Tony assured him, almost simultaneous with Bucky’s nod, and without another word, Steve, exhausted and pensive, stood up and left, the door clicking shut behind him.

“He’ll get it,” Bucky told Tony with complete faith, and Tony shrugged.

“Sure. But soon?”

“If he needs to,” Bucky said firmly, and well, who was Tony to argue with that?

* * *

Four days afterward, Allen was still upset with Steve, and Steve was trying hard to remember what had gone on during the meeting. He was sure that if he could just _remember,_ he’d be able to figure out what had upset Allen and _do_ something about it.

Natasha was keeping the peace well enough, but he could see her patience with him waning. It was beyond him why she was letting this fester as long as it was – he was sure she could fix it if she tried – but he wanted to fix it himself, anyway.

Maybe that was why. Which meant he needed to get a move on.

Still, the whole thing was wearing on him in a bad way, and he was short-tempered with, well, almost everyone – another reason this couldn’t go on for much longer.

So when he ran into Cross – completely, genuinely by accident, in an empty hallway toward the end of the workday – it took approximately five seconds for him to lose his temper entirely.

“The brat speaking to you yet?” Cross asked as soon as he saw him, an arrogant smirk on his face and eyes glittering mirthfully. _He’s speaking to me,_ Steve heard. _You’re so fucking stupid, you can’t even care for your kid._

“He has a name,” Steve nearly snarled, one fist clenching almost on reflex at the sight of Cross. “Use it.”

“I’ll take that as a no,” Cross smirked, coming to a halt just in front of Steve, who had done the same without realizing it. “What a _shame.”_

Steve snapped.

“What do you even think you’re doing here?” Steve demanded, fists tightening with the desire to hit Cross until he was seeing triple. “You come here, you upset Allen, you distract _everyone_ from real issues, and _every time I turn around,_ you’re pissing me off for no reason. What is your _problem?”_

“‘You come into my home, you challenge my pride’,” Cross mocked. “Genius, the only thing I did was help Allen. Not my fault you can’t handle your own green-eyed monster.”

“What do I have to be jealous of?” Steve snapped defensively, face flushing with frustration even as he knew that Cross was _right_ about that, dammit, and it was curling heavily in his gut as he denied it.

Cross eyed him and then smirked again. “My history,” he taunted, not taking his gaze from Steve’s. “My knowledge. I know things about Allen you _never_ will, and you _hate it._ I helped Allen out of a hole you had no idea existed, and now that he’s out you don’t even know him anymore. But _I_ do, and you can’t fucking stand it.” His smirk widened. “You can’t deal with jealousy and you can’t deal with powerlessness, and I’ve been shoving both up your ass since I set foot in here.”

Steve’s chest tightened, and he couldn’t even bring himself to deny it. Instead, he returned, voice rough with frustration and rising above what could be considered a normal speaking level,

“At least I damn well care about him! You’ve done nothing but insult and belittle him since you arrived! Is that what you call being a good guardian? I’d hate to see what came out of any kid _you_ spawned.”

Steve was grimly satisfied to see the cool dissolve almost instantly from Cross’ expression, and the smirk twisted into a snarl, and when he spoke again, his voice had risen to match Steve’s. In the hall, people were starting to come out of who-knew-where, watching curiously and a little warily.

“Are you seriously trying to say you’re any better? Look at you – you’re too damn blind to see what’s right in front of your face, and you’re lashing out like a fucking toddler! Even if you _don’t_ hit him-”

“I would _never!”_ Steve interrupted, at horrified and furious at the accusation. “Who are you to-”

“Steve!”

Natasha’s sharp voice made Steve cut himself off, fists clenching tighter as he forced himself to swallow the rest of his words, nearly shaking with anger. After a moment, he glanced up to see her making her way briskly through the crowd, expression neutral if you didn’t know her and very, very cold if you did.

It took only a few moments for her to reach them and she planted herself closer to Steve than to Cross, enough that she was clearly on his side, but far enough that it was clear she was unhappy with both of them, not just Cross.

Natasha looked at him first, frustration and something more like exasperated disappointment mixing together, and he cringed even as his chest tightened with unresolved anger.

“Steve, you need to work on your listening skills, honestly,” she said, as evenly as if she hadn’t just interrupted a very loud, very heated argument. “Listening and observation. I have a feeling it’s about to become a much bigger part of your life.”

With that, she looked at Cross and glared, something he didn’t see from her very often. Even Cross looked briefly startled, though the interruption appeared to have cooled his temper more than it had Steve’s.

“And you,” she continued, voice far, far too even. “I’m grateful for what you did for Allen, really, but since then you have done _very little_ except make trouble. I understand that you’re _concerned-”_ And the word had never sounded more scathing. “But there are more efficient ways to gather intel, ones that don’t disrupt entire organizations. Steve may not have tried to listen, but you certainly didn’t try to communicate, either, and I am more than done waiting for the two of you to kiss and make up. Get over yourselves, this isn’t about you. It never was.”

Natasha’s special brand of disappointment. Ow.

“Fine.” Cross scowled mulishly. “You want communication, lady, you got it.” He met Steve’s gaze evenly with a glare, unsympathetic and irate. “You’re too damn straightforward, Rogers, and you take too much for granted. Don’t assume things about Allen, that’s just _asking_ for a bad time. Take a good god damn look at him, and _then_ do your shit. Oh, and _stop_ treating him like a fucking toddler, for fuck’s sake. He’ll play you so hard it isn’t even funny.”

Natasha nodded at Cross curtly and turned to face Steve, a dismissal if Steve had ever seen on.

“You’re making up with Allen,” she informed him, tone brooking no compromise. “Within the next day or two. If you don’t make sure of it, _I will.”_

Steve swallowed, caught between residual anger, guilt, and something very like gratitude. _What would I do without you?_ he wondered faintly, and at the same time, said, “As soon as I can.”

“By the way,” Cross inserted, tone suspiciously offhanded. “You might want to get on that observation thing. You’re underestimating all of them so bad, it’s painful, and you bet they’re taking advantage.”

Something in his tone appeared to catch Natasha’s attention, and she twisted to give him a sharp look. “Taking advantage how?”

Cross smirked. “You mentioned that paper file in front of any of them yet?” he asked.

Right on cue, the fire alarm went off.


	55. Chapter 55

By the time they found the fire – and, consequentially, the kids, apparently – it was already out.

Tony and Pepper had been the last to arrive to the room, having been out on Stark Industries business – clearly a mistake. By the time they did, the four kids were gathered in the Avengers living room, sitting in a close-knit group in the middle of the room, while the various parents took a variety of other positions. Steve and Natasha were both on a couch, close together and murmuring furiously, Bucky was pacing and looking frustrated, and Melinda was leaning against a wall, a deep frown on her face.

“So,” Tony said, forcibly injecting cheer he did not feel into his voice. Lavi wasn’t looking at anyone; none of the kids were. But none of them looked guilty, either. “I hear that you kids had a bit of an adventure today.”

Yuu let out a derisive snort. None of the other kids reacted.

By contrast, Melinda’s scowl deepened slightly, Bucky’s pacing increased in agitation, and Steve ground his palm into his forehead.

“Apparently they took issue with some of the information Cross Talbot provided us with,” Natasha provided, expression perfectly neutral. “And decided to take matters into their own hands rather than speak to us about it.”

“Not sorry,” Yuu muttered at the floor. There was a general hum of agreement from the other kids, and then they fell stubbornly silent again.

Tony could feel a headache coming on already. He looked at Pepper, whose expression had softened into something pensive, but also a little hurt, which made Tony’s chest twinge in a way that had nothing to do with the scars from his surgery.

“I see,” Pepper said at last, managing to thread disappointment through each nuance of the words, and Tony at least saw Lavi tuck himself in a little tighter, hands planted firmly on the ground and gazing off to the side, eyes carefully away from anyone he might otherwise encounter. “Have you asked them why yet?”

Natasha met her eyes and inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement. “We were waiting for a full audience.”

“But now that we have it.” Bucky suddenly halted his pacing and fixed Yuu with a look that was devastatingly disappointed, more so than an ex-assassin should have been able to manage. “Please, _do tell.”_

There was another moment of silence, and Tony crossed the room to sit cross-legged on the ground, keeping his eyes on Lavi, chest squeezing and clenching uncomfortably.

Lavi had always been a good kid, for the most part. Part of having once been a grown adult, Tony supposed – Lavi already knew what was and wasn’t expected of him, so he didn’t usually make mistakes the way a normal child would.

He hadn’t taken that logic to its full extent. Which had been stupid and thoughtless.

Because this had not been a mistake. This had been a deliberate, thought-out act of disobedience, premeditated and careful.

Tony wasn’t looking at Melinda, was facing the wrong direction, but he saw Lenalee wince and look away sharply, mouth contorting slightly in a half-frown half-grimace.

But to everyone’s surprise, it was Allen who spoke first. He didn’t look up; he spoke to the ground, tugging absently at each of the fingers of his left hand, one at a time.

“You talked ‘bout that file you had on us,” Allen told the floor, voice soft without being difficult to hear. “Lena an’ I heard what was in it.” He shrugged. “Decided we didn’ wanna share.” A brief moment of hesitation. “Decided we didn’ want you t’know.”

Steve moved to kneel in front of Allen, still towering over him despite the gesture. Tony saw Allen tense and really, really hoped that Steve had, too.

“Was that really your choice to make, little angel?” Steve berated, ridiculously gentle, brow furrowed and focused on Allen.

Allen looked up, met Steve’s eyes the way Tony wouldn’t have thought he ever would, and asked quietly, “Was it yours?”

Tony saw a mess of emotions pass behind Steve’s eyes, surprise and confusion and guilt and then, quick as a flash, recognition, which Tony might’ve been pleased to see at, you know, another time.

“Lavi,” Pepper started, kneeling in front of Lavi, her voice soft and unthreatening in a way Tony had never been able to manage. “Is that true?”

Lavi met her eyes and winced visibly, looking apprehensive, but _still not guilty._ And then he nodded.

Bucky let out a soft growl, and Tony could sympathize, because he was going to feel _really freaking bad_ if he punished Lavi for being scared. They’d have to handle this pretty carefully.

Damn it, how do you discipline a kid who already knows right from wrong?

Pepper considered Lavi for a moment, and then reached out so one hand rested lightly on his knee, catching and holding his attention. “Is there a reason you felt you couldn’t talk to us about this?” she asked eventually.

“I’d like to know that as well,” Melinda entered unexpectedly, eyes firmly on Lenalee, who was nearly squirming under the scrutiny.

Lavi looked at Pepper, reached up and tugged unhappily at his ear, and glanced at Lenalee, who stole a quick glance at him as well, shrugging and drawing her legs in closer.

“I don’t even like to think about it,” Lavi said at last, dropping his hand to his lap again. “Why would I want you to know?”

There was a moment of silence, and Tony used it to swallow.

It was a good point. It was one Tony wouldn’t have figured out himself, because it was an even more uncomfortable realization than he’d expected to reach, but it was valid.

“May I make a proposal?” Pepper said at last, half-turning from Lenalee and raising her voice a little. “Let’s discuss consequences at another time. I think we’ve put off addressing the elephant in the room for long enough.”

“Good call,” Tony said instantly, seeing Lavi relax a little. “Good idea. Yeah.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Cap?”

Steve hesitated for a brief moment, and Tony glanced over to see Allen’s fingers clench around his wrist. Then Steve winced, probably because of Natasha’s fist and the way it had mysteriously encountered his shoulder, cast Allen a lingering, regretful look, and agreed, “Of course.”

Melinda hummed her reluctant agreement, and Bucky grunted in what Tony chose to assume was the same.

“I don’t know about everyone else here,” Pepper told the kids, gaze travelling over each of them, “but I’m most upset because you didn’t feel you could talk to any of us about this, and instead you went behind our backs to do something you knew we’d disapprove of.” She waited a moment, and then added, with a faint, pained smile, “If one of you could explain what you’re thinking, it would help.”

Another moment of hesitation, and then Yuu finally huffed.

“It didn’t have anything to do with you _or_ with the bear,” he snapped. “It had to do with _us._ I didn’t want you to know about it. I kind of wish _I_ didn’t know about it.”

Allen hummed in agreement, and Lavi snorted.

“Lying beansprout,” Yuu informed Allen, who scowled at him.

“Untrusting jerk,” he countered.

 _“You’re_ calling _me_ untrusting?” Yuu demanded disbelievingly.

“Yeah, I am!”

Bucky coughed. Whether it was to interrupt or to hide a laugh, Tony had no idea, but either way, it made the boys fall silent, and the tension eased.

“It was too personal,” Lenalee said unexpectedly, quiet, almost melancholy. When they looked at her, she shrugged. “Not like, I don’t trust you enough, too personal. But…” She hesitated. “You don’t tell anyone you don’t gotta, too personal. Like-” She glanced at Yuu, who scowled at her fiercely.

“Shut up!” he snapped. Lenalee nodded, as if he’d made her point, which he kind of had.

“And we don’t hafta,” she finished, looking at Melinda earnestly. “Right?”

Melinda held her gaze for a few long moments before the woman sighed. “No,” she conceded reluctantly. “You don’t.”

Lenalee smiled, bobbing her head.

“Is that it, Lavi?” Pepper prompted, and Lavi shrugged and nodded.

“Like baring your heart for no reason,” Lavi mumbled, not looking at her or at Tony. “You don’t do it.”

“And your reason for going behind our backs?” Natasha prompted mildly, making more than one of them wince.

“Didn’t want you to try and stop us,” Lavi said, when it was clear no one else would. He giggled uncomfortably. “I guess that was a trust thing, huh?”

“You’ve been able to do this sort of thing for much longer, haven’t you?” Melinda asked suddenly, gaze intent.

Lavi shrugged and nodded, and so did Lenalee, more confidently.

“Why haven’t you?” Melinda prompted.

“No reason,” Lenalee said instantly, and then clarified, “We didn’t have a reason to. ‘Cause things were fine.”

Tony sat up slightly as the implications of that sank in, more interested than (admittedly) hurt by it now. “So you _are_ content with how things are normally,” he clarified, and it was a little more of a relief than he wanted to admit.

Lenalee nodded instantly, and then Lavi. Yuu took a moment longer, but Tony was pretty sure that was just him being obstinate.

Allen squirmed. Natasha elbowed Steve, who was wincing well before she did that.

“I was ‘fore,” Allen offered weakly, smiling uncomfortably. It dropped after a few seconds, and he stuffed his hands into his lap, frowning at the ground.

“I’m sorry, little angel,” Steve said sincerely, and Allen shrugged. Tony deemed it fair, since an apology only meant so much if Steve didn’t follow through.

(If Steve didn’t follow through, though, there were at least three people willing to ‘encourage’ him.)

“If that’s cleared up,” Pepper said at last, looking a little less unsettled, “We can move on to today’s events, since I think it would be better to discuss ways to handle things in the future on an individual basis.”

General nods.

“Let’s start here,” Natasha said firmly, now crouching beside Steve. “So you heard about the file during the last meeting you were allowed into. What happened next?”

There was another moment of silence. The kids exchanged looks, subtle and silent, shifting around each other for a brief moment before Allen looked at Yuu, Yuu scowled, and then the oldest boy spoke.

“Sprout told us the next day,” Yuu said at last, grudgingly. He looked up at Bucky, who had finally come closer, eyes intent on Yuu, and added, “You and Tony were trying to get Steve to pull his head outta his butt, so that’s probably why you didn’t notice.”

“Yuu,” Bucky said in a stern tone, which was convincing not at all because the unexpected turn of phrase, almost obnoxiously Yuu, had startled him into very nearly laughing and broken the tension in the room, even as Steve buried his face in his hands, bright pink.

Yuu rolled his eyes and snorted.

Allen smiled a little, and then nudged Lavi, who playfully rubbed his side where Allen hit it. His smile faded as he looked back up, though, and he put in,

“None of us really wanted you to know ‘bout the things it that file – bad enough that Phil does, y’know?” Lavi grinned a little, though it was hard to miss the sheen of apprehension in his eyes. “So sprout here – the secret-keeping _master,_ by the way – he had a plan already.”

That drew all eyes momentarily to Allen, who winced and shot Lavi a reproachful look.

“Allen, is that true?” Natasha asked, voice perfectly neutral. Tony supposed that she was the last person to disparage someone for keeping secrets always and forever.

Allen looked at her for a long moment, a flurry of subtle emotions flickering across his face, and then he nodded.

“Lavi loud,” he said at last, voice soft again, “and reckless. And Lenalee excitable and ‘venturous. So she and Lavi ‘stracted Vision long ‘nough for me an’ Yuu to leave.” He hesitated briefly. “Yuu and I work really well together, so we took care of the file.” He glanced up at Steve warily, visibly considered, and finished, almost defiantly, “I took the lighter off an agent and we both got in the office the way Lenalee showed us.” Unspoken was the completion of the kids’ self-assigned mission – they’d gotten into one of the bathrooms, and dumped the file into the sink before burning it there. By the time any of adults arrived, Allen was running water over what was by then only ashes, while Yuu stood watch.

Another brief moment of silence while they considered that,

“That was very clever,” Natasha said at last, smiling at Allen’s startled look. Steve shot her a pained look, and her smile changed into a smirk. “Not behavior your father would like me to encourage, but clever nonetheless.”

Allen’s startled look changed briefly into a shy smile, but it vanished when Melinda finally entered the conversation.

“Lenalee?” Melinda tilted her head slightly, gaze steady and expectant. “You’ve been quiet.”

Lenalee winced and bit her lip, but then she sighed. “Sorry for not talking to you,” she said at last. “About this.” She shrugged, and this, at least, she looked guilty about. “I was worried you wouldn’t listen.”

“But you’re not sorry for burning the top-secret file,” Melinda deadpanned.

Lenalee shook her head. Melinda sighed.

“Well, at least you’re decisive,” she said dryly. Then, more seriously, “I’ll admit, I might not have. It’s a mistake I’ll have to watch out for in the future.”

Lenalee almost smiled, and she looked at Yuu, who huffed and scowled, and then looked at Bucky, who still appeared unsettled and frustrated. Apparently this had taken the poor guy even more off-guard than the rest of them.

“I knew you’d listen,” Yuu admitted, frowning. “That wasn’t good enough, though.”

“Lavi?” Pepper prompted, at once wary and gentle.

Lavi flicked a hesitant glance first at her, then at Tony, who tried to smile encouragingly. (He proably failed.) Still, Lavi admitted, “More like Yuu than Lena.” He elbowed Allen faintly, and Allen frowned at him reproachfully. Lavi half-grinned anyway. “’Sides, with sprout here, there really wasn’t a question of his dad listening, was there?”

Steve inhaled sharply, that one casual statement probably a harder blow than most of those so far. Allen, on the other hand, shrugged, a self-recriminating and distinctly forced smile on his face.

“I haven’ earned it yet,” Allen conceded, and Tony felt well within his rights to wince at that.

Tony glanced over to see Natasha giving Steve a pointed look, and Steve winced, and then sighed.

“If we’re covering consequences later,” he said at last, heavy with self-recrimination. “I think I’m a little overdue for a serious talk with Allen.”

“Yeah, you are, you little punk,” Bucky said, sounding satisfied and even smirking when Steve shot him another pained look. “Go on. We’ll wrap things up here.”

Steve inclined his head slightly, and then looked at Allen, hesitated, and asked, “Do you mind?”

Allen’s eyes widened a little, and he shot Yuu a brief, questioning look, to which Yuu rolled his eyes.

“Go,” Yuu half-ordered. “Get your stuff straightened out, already.”

“We’ll just wallow here in the consequences of our actions,” Lavi added with a half-grin, and Lenalee giggled faintly and nodded.

“It’ll be nice for you to be really happy again,” she told him.

Allen smiled softly, then pushed himself up and looked expectantly at Steve, whose gaze took all of this in and, hopefully, absorbed it properly this time.

“Let’s go, little angel,” Steve told Allen, and when he reached for Allen’s hand, Allen reached back.

* * *

Steve took Allen to the Quiet Room – not Allen’s favorite place on base, but probably the one most suited for the conversation, despite that.

If Allen admitted it to himself, he was nervous. He didn’t like being mad at Steve, but the man was _making_ him mad. Allen hated being dismissed. He had always hated being dismissed, and for some reason, it hurt more that Steve treated him like a toddler even though he should logically know better. And even if it was selfish, he wanted _more_ from Steve. Natasha, at least, seemed to understand, but Steve-

He wanted more, and it didn’t make sense to him. He’d let Mana treat him like a pet if he wanted. He hadn’t minded that the man sometimes thought he was someone else. It had been worth it, for the man’s affection, secondhand though it may have been. What had changed? Why wasn’t that enough, with Steve?

But that wasn’t fair to Steve, either. Steve was trying.

That was good. If Steve was trying, Allen could try, too.

Steve settled down onto the couch in the middle of the room, and loosened his grip on Allen’s hand enough to let Allen decide how to sit. Allen let go, but planted himself by Steve – not quite his favorite place (curled up into him) but instead facing him, knees just pressed to Steve’s thigh as he tilted his head up expectantly.

Steve looked down at him, brow furrowed, for a few moments, and soon, Allen’s brow creased to match, worry clenching at his heart. Steve seemed to struggle for words, and Allen waited, trying not to fidget. Finally, Steve spoke, plain and candid and devoid of the almost cushiony tone he sometimes took with Allen.

“I’ll be honest, I know enough that I _know_ I’m not seeing what I should…” A brief pause, as Steve ran his eyes over Allen, as if he could see through Allen’s skin to the workings of his mind. “And I think I’m starting to get the hang of what everyone’s been talking about, but I can’t put my finger on it exactly.” He smiled wryly. “I feel a little stupid, to be honest.”

Allen searched Steve’s eyes briefly, trying to figure out what kind of response Steve was looking for, and then asked cautiously, “Everyone?”

“Bucky, Tony, Cross-” Steve grimaced just at the name, which was funny, and then smiled. “And Nat, of course – I think she was getting a little impatient with me.” Allen smiled, and Steve held his for a moment before it flickered away, and he hesitated again, considering. “They’ve all been telling me to get my head on straight for a while. Guess I just wasn’t listening.”

“…Are you listenin’ now?”

Steve laughed. “I think I am,” he replied, smiling at Allen. “But you can hit me if I’m not, okay, little angel?”

Allen giggled obligingly, feeling the tension in his chest ease a little – but not completely.

Soon, though, Steve’s smile faded, and with it, Allen’s. “I’m sorry for not paying attention before. What you did today – no, I’m not mad, I promise – what you did today… I guess I can’t really keep my head in the sand anymore. Nat was right, it was clever.” He smiled wryly. “Even if I don’t really approve.”

Allen smiled faintly, but waited. Steve grimaced.

“Cross told me a few things, too,” he admitted grudgingly. He smiled a little. “Well, with Nat’s, eh, prompting. He told me not to assume things, mostly. Observation isn’t really my strong point, but I’ll at least pay attention now.” Pause. “I might mess up sometimes, so-”

Allen prodded him. Steve started and gave him a questioning look, and Allen waited again. After a few moments, realization dawned over Steve’s face, and he laughed sheepishly.

“And after I just said I was listening,” he said ruefully. “I’ve got a lot of work to do, huh? Alright. What did you want to say?”

Allen smiled. “Thank you.”

Steve blinked – once, twice, and then he smiled warmly, reached down, and brought Allen up into a hug, which the small boy threw himself into fullheartedly.

“You’re very welcome, little angel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you might've noticed Lenalee and Allen's speech patterns have changed rather drastically. This is because I made an Error, in that Lenalee's birthday was not when I thought it was, so I had to move some things around and basically Lenalee and Allen both got aged up a year. Since I'm running revisions anyway, I won't even things out just yet - I'll do that when I get to the appropriate chapters - but I'll make a point of correcting in-text references to their ages sometime soon. Thank you for your patience!


	56. Chapter 56

“You realize,” Natasha said, when the subject of consequences finally came around, “that almost anything that could be used as a consequence is already in effect, for their own safety?”

There was a moment of silence while everyone contemplated that.

“This is not a good feeling,” Tony complained.

* * *

“You’re grounded,” Steve informed Allen when he finally returned to the room, where Allen was waiting apprehensively, Natasha half a step behind.

Allen blinked and tilted his head inquisitively, eyes flicking hesitantly between Natasha’s face – unreadable even to him – and Steve’s. “Huh?” he asked at last, worried.

“You’re grounded,” Steve repeated, looking completely serious, and Allen still had no idea what that actually _meant._ He bit his cheek, right hand squeezing his opposite wrist uncomfortably, and his gaze flicked briefly to Natasha, who inclined her head slightly. Steve followed Allen’s gaze, but before he could say anything, Allen ventured,

“What’s tha’ mean?”

It came out smaller and more worried than he’d meant, but it made Steve’s gaze soften. The man crossed the room and crouched in front of him, while Natasha hung back patiently.

“It means-” Steve started, and then faltered, studying Allen for a moment. Then he tried again, starting with- “No leaving the… house.” His lips twitched, so quick Allen almost missed it. “Someone needs to keep an eye on you at all times, and no TV for a week and a half. You’re to be helping with small chores for that same time period.”

Allen opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and repeated, “Huh?”

“It’s a slap on the wrist,” Natasha agreed, moving to sit beside him and allowing herself a slight smirk, which did more to relax Allen than almost anything else. “Eventually it was decided that if SHIELD couldn’t keep a couple of toddlers out of top secret files, they deserved to lose a few.” Her expression turned a little more serious. “Though security _will_ be tightened, and I don’t think a second breach would be taken as lightly.”

“Normally you wouldn’t be allowed to see your friends either, at least for a while,” Steve added, staying standing with his hands in his pockets and finally smiling, small and wry. Allen’s breath caught, eyes widening, and Natasha pinched Steve’s arm. Steve winced and continued hastily, “But we decided that you’re practically siblings anyway, so it’s not right.”

One word distracted Allen from just about everything else that Steve had said, making his brain grind briefly to a halt. _Siblings?_

Allen replayed the words in his mind – _you’re practically siblings anyway –_ and a shy smile pulled at his mouth. He wondered what the others would think of that.

Allen liked it.

“All of those consequences will be lifted at the end of the month,” Steve added, smiling gently as he regained Allen’s attention. Allen started.

“All of them?” he questioned hesitantly. He and the others hadn’t complained, at least as far as he knew, because they knew their parents had been worried, and in all honesty, they’d been a little scared too- But. There was always a ‘but’.

Steve’s gaze flicked up to Natasha’s, and Allen’s followed, silver eyes wide. Natasha was looking down at him, and her hand came up to rub his head gently. He tipped his head into her hand absently, not taking his eyes off her, but it was Steve who confirmed,

“All of them.”

“It’s come to our attention that we were suffocating you a little,” Natasha tacked on, dry as dust. Then her gaze flicked to Steve and turned almost pointed. “Your safety is very important, but there are other ways. Ways that don’t restrict your independence quite as much.”

Allen stared from her, to Steve, and then back and forth and back. Slowly, a smile crept onto his face, and then a giggle bubbled from his mouth. Steve started to smile too, visibly bemused and a little sheepish, and Natasha, her silent laugh just a sparkle in her eyes.

Allen’s smile widened into a grin, and his giggle grew into a laugh. Within moments, Steve was chuckling along, and then Natasha covered her mouth, eyes glittering, and they were gone.

Even when he’d just been starting to form his plan, he’d been anticipating punishment. There had been vague, unformed thoughts of pain and fear, things he hadn’t allowed to develop because _he needed to do this, just this one thing._

And here it was – a petty consequence of chores and no TV for a week, and the promise of freedom to come, and the beginnings of an understanding that hadn’t existed before.

Allen nearly tumbled off the couch before he caught hold of Steve’s shirt and instead buried his face in it, muffling his laughter while Steve’s warm hand settled on his back and the man’s laughter shook both of them, and Natasha scooted over so he was squished between them.

It felt nice.

* * *

Coulson’s face was covered. That way he didn’t have to see Melinda’s unsympathetic face.

“I really am going to fire the security team now,” he mumbled to his desk. He wondered if his hair would fall out if he raked his fingers through it. It wouldn’t be much of a loss, since it was about to turn grey, because of the kids if not their parents.

Well. _Kids._

“You don’t sound very surprised,” Melinda observed, carefully neutral.

Coulson sighed and finally dropped his hands back to the desk, looking at Melinda seriously. She raised an eyebrow at him, expectant, and he told her, “I’m not.”

“That they could?” Melinda asked, a little sharper. “Or that they would?”

“Both,” Coulson confessed, sitting up a little more. Mentally, he ran over the information that had been in that file – stories of murder and trauma rendered in sharp, clean letters – and let his mouth form a grimace.

Lavi had been tortured by a Noah named Sheryl, and Lenalee – little Lenalee May who laughed when Daisy lifted her in the air and liked to take naps under Coulson’s desk – had killed him for it. Grumpy Yuu had stayed behind to fight Skinn Boric and buy his friends time to escape. Tiny, frightened Allen had taken out the leader of them all in a fight he never spoke to anyone about. And that was just a fraction of the information in the file, which in turn was only the tip of the iceberg.

No, Coulson wasn’t surprised at all.

Off the record, in the relative privacy of his own mind, he might even agree.

He refocused on Melinda to see her frowning on him. Wanting to avoid whatever had caused that expression, he asked, “What did you end up doing?”

“Grounding,” Melinda answered without missing a beat, gaze still intent and somewhat disapproving. “Until the end of the month.” Then, before Coulson could take advantage of the distraction, “You agree with their call.”

“I agree with their call,” Coulson admitted, not that surprised that Melinda had caught him out; she knew him very nearly as well as Natasha or Clint. Or Fury. (What was the point of being a superspy if so many people could still read him like a book?)

Melinda hummed, and apparently that was that. “Security measures,” she prompted, and just like that, they transitioned into business.

Melinda was much easier to deal with than Natasha, Coulson noted, not for the first time. She didn’t _mess_ with him like the Avenger did.

He dearly hoped that that didn’t change.

* * *

Bucky, because he was somehow at once super careful and super annoying, waited until nighttime, when Yuu was sleepy and unguarded, before he actually confronted Yuu.

“I still don’t understand why you didn’t come to me with this,” he told Yuu, reaching over to pull the hair tie out of Yuu’s hair, which was about when Yuu realized he’d forgotten to do that.

Yuu scowled and rubbed at his eye, processing that. Then he paused, lowered his hand, and frowned at Bucky. “Didn’t I say?” he asked warily.

“You said that wasn’t good enough,” Bucky acknowledged with a short nod, mouth forming an unreadable line. “I’m asking you to elaborate.”

Yuu squirmed in place, gaze darting away, and his fingers clenched around the hem of his red pajama shirt. He pulled at it, scowled at the tension knotting in his chest, and told the wall, “I don’t know. It just wasn’t.”

“Yuu.” He looked up, meeting Bucky’s serious eyes. “Were you angry? Scared? Upset?”

Yuu wrinkled his nose but didn’t break his gaze from Bucky’s this time. “There shouldn’t be a file,” he muttered. “It shouldn’t _be there.”_

“It’s proof,” Bucky noted, and his hand, the metal one, came up to curl gently around Yuu’s shoulder. It squeezed, and while some people might have found that intimidating, Yuu didn’t. Probably never would.

“I don’t need proof,” Yuu mumbled, and kicked irritably at the sheets. It did nothing, obviously. “I _remember.”_

Bucky’s expression turned serious and solemn. “You hate the feel of blood,” he pointed out, voice neutral. “Can’t stand it.”

Yuu stilled. He hadn’t realized Bucky had picked up that. He hadn’t even realized he was still giving off signals related to that.

Then again, it was pretty damn hard to hide anything as a baby, and there’d certainly been enough blood then. Maybe Bucky had started to remember more of that time than he’d been letting on.

“Nothing to do with anything in that file,” he grumbled, struggling to keep his voice even, which the bear would notice because the bear noticed _everything._ “I-” He’d checked, but, belatedly, he realized he didn’t want to say that. He stopped and swallowed, and he reached up and scrubbed at his forearms roughly.

Bucky’s hand moved from his shoulder to his hands, stopping him, and Yuu winced, staring at the blankets.

Maybe being little again had brought that back. Fantastic.

He glanced up and saw Bucky gazing at him – dark and solemn, but nowhere as upset or as frustrated as he had been earlier, and nothing- Else.

“I’m upset,” Bucky said at last, careful and clear, “that you didn’t trust me.”

Yuu faltered. It’d be easy to shrug off responsibility, everyone knew the sprout never told anyone anything if he didn’t have to, but- “…Sorry.”

He meant it.

“You tricked us to get what you wanted,” Bucky continued. Steady. Unreadable. “That sort of thing causes problems with trust, Yuu.” Bucky paused, possibly for effect, and continued, “Between Natasha, Tony, and SHIELD, I understand that sometimes it’s not easy to be up-front in social situations, no matter the circumstance, and sometimes it’s too much to ask.” He took a breath. “But I _am_ going to ask that it not be your first resort.”

“Okay,” Yuu said instantly, maybe too quickly. Bucky gave him a Look, and he shrugged and tried not to squirm. “It’s not my thing anyway,” he offered, avoiding Bucky’s gaze again, cheeks flushed. “It’s the sprout’s.”

The corner of Bucky’s lips twitched up. “You’ve always been straightforward,” he admitted, looking almost amused, and Yuu relaxed, a soft breath of relief letting itself out. Bucky relaxed a little, too, laying down. “Trickery is Allen’s thing, huh? Stevie’s got his work cut out for him, then.”

Yuu scowled, still a little put out by Steve’s behavior over the past few weeks.

“It’s not that hard,” he said petulantly, pressing against Bucky and half-hiding his face and his scowl. “Sprout’s not nearly as clever as he thinks he is.”

“Why do I get the feeling that’s not a popular opinion?” Bucky asked, and Yuu scowled harder. Bucky chuckled. “Well, I don’t envy him one way or another. Good thing he has Natasha on his side.”

“And you,” Yuu muttered, letting his eyes close. Bucky was as much an observer as Yuu himself was, and took about as much bullshit.

“And me,” Bucky agreed with a slight smile.

* * *

It was Natasha who was with Allen when he said goodbye to Cross before the older exorcist left, for peacekeeping purposes. Still, Steve figured he had a few things to say to him before he left, no matter how irksome-

Ahem.

“Hey!” he called out, jogging out after the two Talbots as they left for the helicopter waiting for them. Both of them paused, looking over, and he held his breath.

Cross smirked, and then said something to the older Talbot, who shook his head and then waved dismissively, turning away to move on to the helicopter. To Steve’s surprise, Cross waited, hands in his pockets, still smirking.

Steve found it only slightly less infuriating than usual.

He finally caught up and made as if to speak, then hesitated, second-guessing himself. Cross, as always, willingly took the opportunity and inserted,

“Cat got your tongue, blondie? Shoved your head so far up your ass you forgot how to talk?”

Steve half-grimaced and, instead of snapping back, said, “You were right.”

Cross blinked, visibly startled. He recovered quickly, though, and was smirking again almost before Steve had noticed. “Obviously,” he said flippantly. “But go on.”

Steve did, letting himself be completely serious for this. “I wasn’t paying enough attention to Allen, and it could’ve cost us our relationship. And I was too prideful to do anything about it.”

Cross made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. “You would’ve had to try harder than that,” he informed Steve tartly. “He _clings.”_

Steve was lost again. “Um… Yes?” Allen had been clingy for as long as Steve had known him, but he’d wondered, for a bit, if that was part of the ‘before’ to the ‘after’ that he’d been willfully ignoring.

Cross rolled his eyes, but all he said was, “Look, no matter how you mess up, Allen probably wants this at least as much as you do.” He raised his eyebrows. “Like that lady wife of yours does, _right?”_

Steve bit his tongue against a retort – Cross, like Tony, seemed to communicate by being deliberately offensive – and replied, “That’s kind of what I’m worried about.”

Pause.

“What the hell are you getting at?” Cross asked at last, frowning at him.

“I messed up,” Steve said plainly. “In a way you wouldn’t have.” He shrugged helplessly. “Guess I just wanted to ask what you thought of it.”

“I think you’re a dumbass,” Cross informed him, and Steve winced. “But…” Cross scowled. “Fucking hell.” Ah, Steve recognized that face – it was very much like Tony’s ‘ugh, feelings’ face. He might’ve smiled if he didn’t still feel guilty. _“Look._ You tried, and my _stupid_ apprentice usually accepts that as enough.” He hesitated, rolled his eyes, and tacked on, glancing away with visible discomfort, “But he didn’t this time. He asked for more.”

Steve’s heart dropped, and he definitely wasn’t qualified to untangle what that meant, but it sounded like- Cross looked back at him and scowled harder.

“He trusts you, dumbass. And if that doesn’t mean anything to you, you’re fucking hopeless.”

Ah. Steve chuckled sheepishly, running his hand through his hair, and managed a sheepish grin that just seemed to make Cross roll his eyes harder.

“Maybe I am,” he admitted, smiling. “Natasha certainly tells me so often enough.”

“You don’t deserve that lady,” Cross commented with a snort.

Didn’t Steve know it.

“That’s more or less what I wanted to talk to you about,” Steve admitted, glancing at the helicopter, now waiting just on Cross. Then, after a moment of hesitation and another internal grimace, “Thanks.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Cross said dismissively, batting away the gratitude. “Whatever, fuck up less.”

Steve just barely suppressed an eye roll of his own. “Anything else you’d like to drop on me before you go?” he asked, half wry and half sarcastic.

Cross started to turn, considered, and stopped. “Yeah, actually,” he said, unexpectedly serious. “That curse scar of his hasn’t acted up at all yet, has it?”

Steve blinked, startled, and then shook his head. “Not at all.”

“Good.” Cross nodded at him. “Let me know if it does.”

“Why?” Steve asked, suspicious before he could stop himself.

Cross smirked at him again, reached up, and brushed his hair out of his face for once, revealing a cross-shaped scar carving up the right side of his face. It wasn’t shaped anything like Allen’s, but the color and the quality was similar enough that he could guess at the relevance.

“I’ll know what to do about it,” Cross said flippantly, and turned away for real this time, letting his hair drop back into place.

“You take a sick pleasure out of surprising me, don’t you,” Steve muttered, sounding maybe more petulant than he’d wanted to but not really caring.

Cross was laughing at him again.

Steve decided he still didn’t like him.


	57. Chapter 57

Lavi curled up against Pepper's side, a book settled in the crook of his arm and his opposite hand pressed to the divide. Beside him, Pepper was silent, focused on the work inevitably displayed on her pad.

It was comfortable and quiet; Lavi might've felt a little guilty, as he had over the past week, but he'd heard that Steve's temper had eased up, which meant the others were probably having an easier time, too.

He tilted his head into Pepper's arm, attention drifting from his book.

Last time the Avengers had been in conflict, it had been hard on all of them. Lenalee hadn't been there then, of course, so she didn't know how bad it could get. He wondered if the SHIELD staff had ever fought like that.

Probably not. They didn't seem like they were as close as the Avengers were, so they couldn't hurt each other as bad.

The time Tony had helped Bucky talk to Steve had been the closest the (slightly overprotective) man had let Lavi to Steve since Cross came, and the incident with the file had been the most time he'd consecutively spent with his friends.

Then again, the whole ordeal was probably worth it to have sprout back as he should be, not to mention get the safety measures eased up a little. He smiled at the book a little, then, abruptly, pushed it away and twisted to look up at Pepper instead.

"Mom!" he called insistently, getting her attention.

She set her pad down and offered him a half-smile and a raised eyebrow. "Lavi," she called back teasingly. He grinned at her.

"Dad'll let me play with my friends again now, right?" he asked her.

"I expect so," Pepper confirmed, not bothering to pretend not to know what he was talking about. "It was more about Steve than your friends, and Steve's problem was about Cross." She caught his worried expression and added, "If not, I'll talk to him, but I don't think it'll be a problem."

Lavi smiled. "Alright," he agreed easily, plopping against her more comfortably, with his arms latched to hers. "Hey, now Cross and Talbot are gone, will Nick come back?"

"Are you allowed to call him that?" Pepper asked, sidetracked and clearly amused, if not a little startled.

"Nope," Lavi said happily.

Pepper stifled a laugh. "You're too much like your father. Yes, he'll be back out of hiding soon. If nothing else he needs to heckle Phil for letting the four of you pull one over on him."

Lavi searched her expression for a moment and then, not finding any of the hurt of the days past, offered another, more hesitant smile. "He's never gonna hear the end of that one, huh?"

"Not if Tony has anything to say about it – or Natasha, for that matter." Pepper glanced down at him, and Lavi tilted his head at her suddenly thoughtful expression. "Though, there's one thing I've been wondering. How did you get FRIDAY to stay quiet?"

Lavi considered for a moment, and then ducked his head and shrugged. "I asked her to."

Pepper blinked, and then he giggled softly at the faint 'smack'. "Tony's creations," she murmured, a twist of despair to her voice. "FRIDAY?"

"Yes, ma'am?" FRIDAY asked instantly, sounding perfectly innocent. Lavi grinned again.

"Why didn't you inform Tony about what the kids were up to?"

"We were conspiring against you to eventually overthrow the government," FRIDAY said, without changing her tone at all. Lavi buried his face in Pepper's side to muffle his laughter. Pepper let out something caught between a huff and a laugh.

 _"FRIDAY._ Don't make me tell Tony on you." Pepper was shaking her head, one hand moving to urge Lavi back out, and he obediently withdrew and looked back up at her, still grinning.

The levity dropped from FRIDAY's voice, and she said, "I understand that my predecessor considered Lavi just as responsible for making his own choices as, say, the boss – even if he personally disagreed with those decisions. It isn't my place to do otherwise." Some of the lightness returned. "I'm afraid that having an All-Seeing AI only takes you so far."

"Clearly," Pepper said ruefully, shaking her head. "Alright, thank you, FRIDAY."

Lavi suspected that Tony would be hearing about this anyway. He wondered if FRIDAY would be in trouble for this. Oops.

"I feel like we just keep uncovering factors in what happened," Pepper sighed. Lavi bit his cheek, but before he could say anything, Pepper continued, "Still, it's good to know what the four of you are capable of when you put your minds to it." She raised an eyebrow, and Lavi winced playfully even as he felt a little relieved. "And somehow I don't think we're going to be seeing any less of it in the future."

A smile, bigger and more pleased than those previous, broke out across Lavi's face. "Nope!" he agreed cheerfully. Now that Allen was as he should be, it was as if a misaligned cog had slipped back into place.

Things weren't going to get any easier, probably, but he and his friends could rise to match it all the same. They always had before.

Lavi wondered which of them would activate first.

* * *

"Yuu already has a superpower," Lenalee argued, waving one hand insistently.

"So do all of you," Yuu grumbled, plopped on his stomach and close to pouting. After a moment of consideration, he added, "And almost everyone else we know."

"But none of us heal like you do," Lavi pointed out, and then grinned. "What about laser eyes, then? 'Cause of your glare."

Yuu shot said glare at Lavi, and Miri laughed to herself quietly, covering her mouth as she watched the four children work.

They were supposed to be drawing themselves as superheroes today. Between their history, ongoing feelings of powerlessness, and their surroundings, Miri had been planning on this one for a while. It was usually an individual project, but she'd set it as a collaborative for the four of them, and it appeared to have been the right choice.

So far, Allen had been given a white and silver outfit with a mask, with the power 'all-seeing eye', and Lenalee, with superspeed, had a purple and black one patterned with butterflies and a pair of high-heeled boots. They'd also drawn both of them as recognizably older, she noted with interest – though the drawings were clumsy at best, a few things, like their relative height and proportions, gave it away.

"Foresigh'?" Allen suggest, with a small smile. Then, playfully, "Then Yuu could see where you goin' 'fore you get there."

Allen hadn't explained to her what had caused him to gain back so much of his confidence, other than to mention a 'Master Cross', but Miri was grateful for it. They'd only met a few times since then, but so far Allen had proven to be a huge asset when helping the others, and no more helpful than before when helping himself.

"Sprout!" Lavi protested. "You're not supposed to help him kill me!"

Yuu snorted and smirked, and after a moment, nodded at Allen. "Foresight's fine," he agreed carelessly, though Miri thought he looked at least a little pleased.

Yuu was as difficult as Allen was, at times, but unlike Allen, Miri was at least fairly certain Yuu wasn't doing it on purpose. As a result, he made progress in sporadic jumps.

Drawing things, surprisingly enough, seemed to work best with him. Briefly, she let her mind drift to one of the things she still wondered about.

_Miri knelt down in front of Yuu, studying him as thoughtfully as Lavi or Lenalee sometimes studied her._

_Yuu, being Yuu, was just scowling at her, but there was something wary in it. In over six months, she'd made as little progress with him as she had with Allen, which was very much saying something. Unlike Lavi, who was almost always willing to talk, and Lenalee, who spoke sporadically about her thoughts and feelings, Yuu and Allen needed to be corralled gently into anything they might or might not say._

_Finally, Miri came to a decision and smiled slightly at Yuu, who frowned harder._

_"Would you be willing to try something else today?" she asked him, leaning back a little._

_He considered that for a moment, and then shrugged. "Maybe," he muttered, crossing his arms with another scowl._

_"Would you paint 'regret' for me?"_

_Asking Yuu to paint his feelings was a method that she found worked, at least some of the time. 'Happiness' had resulted in an almost sarcastic smiling sun, for instance, but 'fear' had earned her an ominous-looking torso with claws. (She might not understand what it was meant to be, but at least he was 'talking' about it.)_

_One of the first feelings she'd gone for was anger, given his general demeanor, but it had told her next to nothing. Still, after seeing some of his behavior - around Allen, especially, and sometimes even all by himself, during play - she had, this time, decided to aim for a more mature feeling than that._

_Yuu scowled harder, and for a moment, he looked ready to blow, and for that moment, Miri was fully prepared to deal with another failure._

_Then he deflated, hesitated, and his gaze flicked over to the paint set kept in the room, then back to hers, steady and wary and perhaps a little more thoughtful now._

_"…Sure. I guess."_

_She smiled and made to stand, but Yuu had beaten her there. She hesitated, wondering if Yuu would take the whole set or pick out just a few colors to use this time._

_Sure enough, Yuu picked up only a single pot of paint, one sheet of paper, and no brushes at all. Then he returned to her and sat down, carefully laid the sheet in front of him, put the pot beside it, and opened it._

_Red. For regret, he'd picked red paint._

_For anger, he had picked silver, gold, and bright, lime green._

_He considered the pot and the paper for a moment, while Miri watched quietly. Then, decisively, he dipped his entire hand into the pot, and scooped out a handful of scarlet paint. With a plop, he smacked it onto the paper, and in slow, deliberate movements, smeared it across the entire paper._

_Twice he went back for more, until the pot was nearly empty and the paper was soaked through, covered thickly in crimson liquid._

_It was a terrible mess, but the expression on Yuu's face - pensive, unhappy, tired - kept Miri quiet. When he looked done, she asked,_

_"Did you apologize, Yuu?"_

_"Sorry isn't good enough," he told the paper, the corners of his eyes crinkling and his mouth pulling into a very different sort of scowl._

_"Why not?"_

_Yuu was silent for longer this time, not once moving from his position or breaking his gaze. "…I say so."_

_"Then what is?"_

_Silence._

_Finally, Yuu's gaze flicked up to meet hers, and he held it there, considering._

_"You're smart," he told her quietly, a complete non-sequitur, and then, almost defensive, "Sometimes."_

_He'd relaxed, a little. Miri smiled. "I try."_

When she brought herself back to the present, the kids were working on Yuu's drawing, in what looked like black and red. Chatter and banter flew back and forth over it, and Miri smiled faintly.

The four of them were as enigmatic as anyone she'd ever dealt with, but they were making progress, and that was the important thing.

* * *

"Are Noise an' Miranda an' Link okay?" Allen asked unexpectedly, a non-sequitar to the previous conversation that made Steve start slightly before he processed it better.

"Of course they are," Steve assured Allen warmly, giving him a smile. "SHIELD's looking after them."

Allen frowned at the block set. "Dad- _dy,"_ he protested. And then, clarifying, "Has anythin' happened?"

Steve opened his mouth, closed it to consider, and then gave Allen another, more honestly reassuring smile. "They're fine," he repeated, shoving aside his reservations. "There haven't been any attacks, not even any suspicious activity."

Allen gave him a smile in return, silver eyes sparkling, and Steve felt warmth bloom in his chest.

"I shouldn' worry," Allen admitted with a smile. "'Cause both of them are really good, y'know? Even if somethin' happened, Noise is good at stayin' calm an' he's really strong, an' Miranda can't figh' well but she can shield _great,_ and she's really determined _._ They'd be fine, I think."

"What about Link?" Steve asked, curious about the fact that Allen hadn't mentioned him.

The bright, fond smile returned. "He knows lotsa things tha' he can still use," Allen said confidently. "An' he's really smart. He'll be okay."

"You have a lot of faith in them," Steve commented, his focus on Allen.

Allen smiled and bobbed his head. "They earned it," he said with certainty.

Steve considered that for a moment, mind lingering curiously over what could have happened to make Allen's faith so unshakeable, and then thought about how much faith the other kids had in him, Yuu especially. Thought about how sure they'd been that he could handle himself even before Cross came.

He thought about how many times Allen had passed his expectations, done better than he'd ever expected, and how Allen only seemed to be doing better and better as days passed.

And he thought, _If his friends have so much faith in his strength, the least I can do is trust him as much as they do._

Oblivious to this decision, Allen added, "I will, too."

Steve winced, at himself as much as Allen's words, and reminded him, "You don't need to."

Allen shrugged, smile fading into a somewhat more serious look. "I mean, I guess not. But I _should."_ He smiled a little. "I kinda need to give you somethin' to go off, right? Else it'll be even harder."

"It's not hard to look after you," Steve said reflexively. He'd said it a thousand times, and he'd say it a thousand times more if it made Allen feel safer.

Allen smiled at him. It was a smile Steve recognized and hadn't thought anything of before, though it wasn't at all like Allen's happy or shy or embarrassed smiles.

 _Types of smiles,_ Steve thought ruefully. It wasn't an unfamiliar concept – far from it, especially knowing Natasha as he did – but Allen had more than anyone Steve knew, _including_ Natasha.

Steve sighed, and then half-laughed. "It _is_ hard," he conceded, because while he could and would say it wasn't a thousand times but it wouldn't make it true or helpful. Than, firmly, he continued, "But that's fine. No one ever said taking care of a kid was easy." He shrugged, smiling self-deprecatingly. "I was hell on my mom when I was a kid, between the sickness and the fights, but she made sure I knew it was okay."

Allen's smile turned small and shy, but much more honest, and he scooted over to press against Steve's leg.

"Oh," Allen said quietly, and Steve laughed, reaching down to rub his arm gently.

"You're worth it," Steve reiterated. "Don't you ever doubt that, little angel."

Allen's smile was blinding.


	58. Chapter 58

_“Wheeee!”_

Splash.

“I don’t think they found the rain real off-putting,” Sam said to Steve, smirking slightly as he nodded at Lavi jumping gleefully in some of the deeper puddles. Then, “Hey, you two! Don’t go too far now!”

“’Kay!” Allen called back, attempting to skid to a halt. He slipped and fell with a yelp, and Lenalee giggled and reached down to tug him up.

“Bucky said rain was Yuu’s favorite weather, actually,” Steve replied, glancing at Sam to smile. “It looks like the rest of them don’t mind it much either.”

“I don’t think they’d have minded flooding,” Natasha said dryly. “It’s the first time they’ve been out in months.”

Steve winced, and Sam grimaced, nodding briefly in agreement.

“You look like a dork in that poncho, by the way,” Sam informed him, apparently unable to repress it any longer. Steve pulled a face, and Natasha cut across him,

“He is a dork, Sam.” A smirk flickered briefly across her face, lightening her eyes. “Don’t be too hard on him, he can’t help it.”

“Didn’t I get enough of that from Bucky this morning?” Steve complained, tugging at the sleeve.

“If you’re still wearing it,” Sam said firmly, “definitely not.”

“I’m _trying_ to set a good example for Allen,” Steve said, visibly put out. “I’m reliably informed he’s not very good at looking after himself.”

“Was it Link or Yuu?” Sam asked, valiantly suppressing a laugh.

“Both,” Natasha told him.

Sam laughed.

A few yards away from the clustered adults, Yuu, dressed in a dark blue rain jacket and a pair of plain red rubber boots, sat cross-legged in the grass, hands squishing into the mud and letting the rain fall over him, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth.

Yuu liked the rain. He liked the feel of it, and the smell and the sound. He liked the thin coating of cool liquid that covered his skin after a while, and he liked how clean the air felt during a rainstorm, and the grey clouds that covered the sky.

Steve was right. Rain was definitely Yuu’s favorite weather.

“Hey, Yuu!”

Yuu hissed as Lavi ran up to him, sending sprays of cold water splashing up against his jacket and unprotected pants. “Stupid rabbit!” he huffed, twisting to look at Lavi with a small frown. “What is it?”

Lavi, in bright red boots and a jacket to match, grinned down at him, red hair plastered all over his face and neck. “You shouldn’t waste this time outside,” he said cheerfully, reaching down to tug at Yuu’s hood. “C’mon! Live a little, Yuu. Run! Play! Go!”

Yuu hissed at the pull and grudgingly stood up, mud smearing over his hands and against his pants as he stumbled to his feet. “Fine, fine,” he groused, rolling his eyes at Lavi’s grin. “Where’s Lena and the sprout?”

“Over there!” Lavi said, clearly pleased, pointing across the way.

Allen was dressed in bright yellow, polka dots scattered across both his boots and his jacket, and Lenalee was in black, shining slightly with lingering water and the natural sheen of the material. They were racing, stumbling occasionally over the uneven landscape, but both of them laughing and shoving each other barely enough to falter.

Yuu considered them for a moment, and then a smirk curled his mouth, and he glanced at Lavi. “Bet I can reach them before you do,” he challenged.

“You’re on!” Lavi laughed, and took off almost before Yuu had heard it. Yuu muttered a curse and went running after him.

Yuu reached them first, of course, just as the two youngest went collapsing in a heap, clinging to each other and laughing. Allen’s eyes sparkled, water gleaming on his cheeks and forehead and a grin stretching his mouth, and Lenalee laughed helplessly, elbows digging into the mud and hair mixing into it messily.

Lavi arrived moments after, panting slightly.

“You looked like you were having too much fun without us,” Lavi told them, grinning. “What gives, guys?”

Allen grinned at him without getting up, silver eyes bright. “Not gonna wait up fo’ you,” he replied, smiling. “Hurry up nex’ time!”

“You were having fun on your own, anyway,” Lenalee put in, sitting up, mud sticking her hair to her shoulders. “You even splashed Yuu!”

At the mention, Yuu scowled at Lavi, who flinched dramatically, reeling.

“Hey, hey!” Lavi protested, raising his hands. “We’re all friends here!”

Yuu took a step forward, and then tried to lunge, except at exactly the wrong moment, two sets of hands latched onto him, and he went falling down with an undignified yelp.

“Sprout!” Yuu yelled accusingly, ignoring Lenalee’s contribution entirely, and lunged at him. Allen laughed, and then they were wrestling in the mud.

Lavi laughed at both of them, and Lenalee glanced at him, rolling a ball of mud between her palms in consideration. Then she cooed, “La- _vi.”_

“Eh? Lenalady?” he questioned, glancing at her. The mud ball landed. “Ah! That’s cold!”

“Hey, now.”

Steve appeared beside them, giving Lenalee a stern look while Lenalee tried to look innocent and Lavi pouted.

“Look at you, you’ve made a mess now,” Steve chided gently, glancing up as Sam broke up Yuu and Allen with a few nudges and some easy words that had them both shuffling their feet, trying not to smile. “That’ll be tough to clean up later, you know.”

“Sorry, Steve,” Lenalee apologized, without meaning a word of it. Steve shot her a reprimanding look, but at her expression, broke down and grinned.

“Try not to make a much worse mess,” he said at last, and Lenalee and Lavi both nodded their heads obediently, eyes wide.

“How hard do you think it is to get mud out of white hair?” Natasha asked Steve when they returned, one eyebrow raised and somehow composed even in the downpour.

“Oh, geez,” Steve groaned, but he was smiling anyway.

* * *

_“Nigel was using Kim as a human dartboard, and you employed your son as a vomit mop.”_

Allen muffled his giggle in his hands, and he felt Natasha squeeze his knee lightly. He glanced up at her briefly and found her smiling slightly, eyes on the screen until she glanced down to meet his eyes. Her smile warmed, and he uncovered his mouth to beam back.

The Avengers had a movie night every other week. With so many people, it was a bit of a task sometimes, with seating and movie choices and schedules, but they did it.

Most nights, Natasha, Steve, and Bucky would all share a couch, and Allen would choose a spot to insert himself – on a lap or between Steve and Natasha – Steve was warmer and would always keep a hand around Allen’s or in his hair, and Natasha would hold onto him as if he would float away. Yuu usually leaned against Bucky with his arms around his legs, quiet and intent. Sometimes Sam would join them, and distract them all from the movie with dry muttered commentary.

Sam, Rhodey, and Scott shared a couch, too, nudging each other and muttering things no one else could ever quite make out, but that they seemed to find funny, from the smirks illuminated by the light of the screen. The rest of the time, they were tossing popcorn at each other and either catching it or scooping it up to eat.

Tony, Pepper, Wanda, and Vision would take up the last, and Lavi would place himself wherever he wanted, splaying like a particularly floppy stuffed animal. Tony and Vision would discuss the science of the movie in voices they thought were quiet, while Pepper and Wanda took turns shushing them with varying levels of amusement.

Sometimes, Allen, Yuu, and Lavi would all huddle on the ground closer to the screen, nudging each other and laughing and being generally distracting.

Tonight, though, Melinda and Lenalee had joined them. Vision had transplanted himself over to sit with Sam, Rhodey, and Scott, and Melinda sat between Pepper and Wanda, looking remarkably unruffled for her situation, Lenalee tucked under her arm. Lavi was wedged between Pepper and Tony, looking pleased with himself for fitting, and Allen was on Natasha’s lap, with his head on her shoulder and Yuu to his back.

Across the room, Lavi reached over to prod Lenalee, and Lenalee prodded him back, and they went back and forth until Pepper laid one hand over each of theirs, making them giggle and settle down. Beside Allen, Yuu huffed, and there was a brief whir as Bucky waved his hand a murmured a placation. When Allen glanced over, Yuu was smirking slightly, eyes glimmering in the changing light.

Allen reached back to nudge Yuu, and Yuu scowled at him and shoved back, sending Allen tumbling over to Steve with a squeak. Steve caught him and murmured, “Settle down,” with an edge of amusement in his voice. Allen pouted, and then squirmed around until he was comfortable in his new position.

Then he kicked Yuu, and Yuu scowled again and smacked his leg, and Bucky snorted and muttered to both of them, “If you two don’t stop fighting you’ll be placed on opposite ends of the couch.”

At the same time, both of them fell still, and Natasha gave Bucky a brief nod of gratitude.

There were a few moments of quiet, and then Wanda sneezed, and a few pieces of popcorn went skittering, as did the bowl. Lenalee reached for it, and a moment later, Melinda took a handful and popped some in her mouth.

_“How many kids? Well, uh, when you get here we can just count ‘em up.”_

* * *

“Ring around the rosie, pocketful of posy, ashes, ashes, we all fall _down!”_

At the same time, they all let go and collapsed to the ground, the entire massive ring of children scattering across the floor.

“They do know that rhyme refers to the Bubonic Plague?” Vision wondered, eying the seven players with visible concern.

“They know,” Fury said with deadpan certainty, leaning back in his chair to eye them dolefully.

Miranda, Noise, and Link had all received mission to visit at about the same time. Scott knew that there were other purposes to their visit – there were threats to be discussed and security measures to inform them of, after all – but this. This was, at least, a benefit.

“They will not hurt themselves overmuch,” Wanda assured them, watching them clamber to their feet and start to link hands again. “I’m making quite sure.”

 _“Thank_ you,” Scott said, because he really didn’t want to know what would happen if they did. Wanda cast him a brief, amused smile, and he stuffed his hands in his pockets and grinned a little, wry and rueful.

The seven of them repeated themselves, making an awkward, lopsided loop that ranged from three year old Allen to sixteen year old Noise, the latter smiling with amusement, eyes glittering and not letting go of Miranda’s hand even to fall.

It was _ridiculous._

“They’re ridiculous,” Fury muttered, rolling his eyes but not returning to his book either.

“Why not be?” Wanda shrugged, hiding her smile behind her hand.

The children fell again before anyone could reply, and Noise sat up chuckling, shaking his head.

“Enough of that,” he said to the room at large, helping Miranda up in small nudges. “I have bruises everywhere by now.”

Yuu snorted. “Don’t be a wuss,” he said amiably.

 _“You’ve_ never had a bruise in your _life,”_ Lavi accused, as if it were a crime. “You don’t get a say.”

Yuu crossed his arms and scowled.

Allen glanced around and looked quizzically at Lenalee, who copied the motion, brightened, and popped up to leap onto the table, wobbling slightly on landing. A smile broke out across Allen’s face, and he matched the movement with a little more effort but better balance.

Having successfully drawn everyone’s attention, Allen declared gleefully, “Th’ floor is lava!”

Link’s eyes widened, and then Lavi was laughing and scrambling onto an unoccupied couch, Yuu followed with a grumble, and Link joined the game from a different couch after a moment of hesitation, while Miranda and Noise both begged off as being a little too big for jumping on furniture.

“I think your power’s about to come in handy,” Scott murmured to Wanda, trying not to laugh.

“Yes, perhaps we should monitor them more closely at this point,” Vision agreed.

Wanda hummed in acknowledgement, and with a twitch of her fingers, called up a few threads of power that could be easily used at any moment.

“How do people without superpowers take care of their children?” Fury grumbled, eying the children that hard started flying between the different furnishings and not bothering to suppress the urge to roll his eyes.

“With lots of terror and adrenaline,” Scott told him.

Allen collided with the arm of a couch and yelped as he nearly fell, and then tendrils of red mist steadied him, and he shot Wanda a grin and went on his way, heading for Link, who was contemplating his next move with a serious expression.

“Sounds exhausting,” Fury said.

Lavi nearly tumbled off the edge of the table and Yuu yanked him back. Noise rescued Lenalee from the back of a couch and placed her back on the cushions.

“We usually have fewer kids though,” Scott added.

“You guys don’t half-ass anything, do you,” Fury muttered.

A few moments passed as the kids’ laughter rose and their movements sped, working themselves into an excited frenzy that had more near-misses than solid landings. At last, Fury stood up and clapped his hands briskly, and when that failed to do more than draw their eyes toward him, Wanda waved a hand and stilled them all.

Fury glared at the assembly, and then said, “Sit your asses down, I have blackmail to give you. You think you know your parents? I’ve been tracking all of ‘em practically since they were born.”

Out of all of them, Allen looked the most interested in that. But when Wanda released them, all of them abandoned their game and assembled in front of him in a cluster, staring up expectantly. Fury wasted no time and no opportunity.

“Stark’s easiest,” Fury announced, standing up and arms clasped behind his back as if giving a mission briefing. “He’s been on my radar since before he was born, and let me tell you, he could be a damn brat child-”


	59. Chapter 59

They were brought abruptly back to Earth when three things happened in quick succession:

One, Daisy contacted Lincoln in his isolation chamber and offered him a way out.

Two, Lash was sent out in Lincoln’s place to where Daisy waited with Hive.

Three, Daisy, now freed of Hive’s influence, returned to SHIELD and turned herself in.

“Can we visit, Mommy, please?” Lenalee nearly begged, staring up at Melinda pleadingly. She’d been worried about Daisy since she’d left, and to have her locked in an isolation chamber as soon as she’d returned was almost worse.

Melinda gave her a sidelong glance, brow slightly furrowed. Then, after a moment and without smiling, she tilted her head slightly in concession.

“It’ll be good for her,” Melinda remarked, fingers tapping her thigh restlessly. “Simmons says she’s been in a bad state since she came in.”

Lenalee bit her cheek worriedly, and Melinda stood up, reached down, and let Lenalee take her hand, making to lead the way to where Daisy was, or so Lenalee assumed.

“How?” Lenalee asked anxiously, fingers squeezing Melinda’s the best he could.

Melinda’s grip tightened slightly in return. “She’s been blaming herself.”

“Oh,” Lenalee said softly, shifting her gaze away, forehead wrinkling.

Self-incrimination was always a difficult issue. It had nearly killed two of her friends when the Noah woke Alma, and Kanda had never forgiven himself for what happened there. Link had nearly destroyed himself over his betrayal of Allen and of the Thirds. Allen regretted everyone  he couldn’t save, and Lavi had resented his inability to help her defeat Sheryl.

And in all that time, Lenalee had never been able to figure out how to help them.

She squeaked as their combined hands moved to her forehead, and Melinda’s thumb pressed against it. With her free hand, she pushed them away and gave Melinda a questioning look.

“She’ll get better,” Melinda reassured her quietly. “She’s only just gotten back, after all. It’s still fresh.”

Lenalee let herself smile, small and uncertain, and Melinda’s expression warmed, and she gave her daughter a nod that made the girl relax a little. Then they reached the isolation chamber, and Melinda hooked a chair around her ankle and pushed it by the window. Lenalee gave Melinda a somewhat brighter smile, and Melinda smiled back briefly.

“I’ll be right here, baby girl.”

Lenalee bobbed her head, and Melinda lifted her onto the chair, then stepped back, out of sight of the window.

Lenalee could just see over the bottom of the window with the aid of the chair. She leaned forward, palms pressed to the metal to steady her, and gazed in worriedly.

Daisy was sitting on the sterile white couch, slouching with her hands pressed together and her elbows on her thighs, staring at nothing. She was almost eerily still, not crying, not fidgeting, nothing.

Lenalee formed her fingers into a fist and knocked softly, twice, on the window.

Daisy looked up, too pale and visibly exhausted, with a gaze that was hollow and haunted, and Lenalee tilted her head and offered the woman a hesitant smile that did nothing to hide her worry.

“Hi, Daisy,” Lenalee said, wondering if the window muffled her voice. “I’m glad you’re back.”

Daisy stared at her for a moment, blank and tired, and then spoke in a voice made thick with repressed emotion. “I’m surprised May let you near me, after everything I did.”

Lenalee smiled sadly, letting her head tilt forward so her forehead pressed to the cool glass, her hands still bracing against the door. Beside her, she saw Melinda tilt her head slightly, listening.

“I asked to visit,” she told Daisy. ‘It wasn’t your fault’ hadn’t worked with Kanda, and ‘there was nothing you could have done’ had never helped Allen. This time, she tried, “I missed you.”

“How?” Daisy asked, with raw, aching regret.

“You’re my friend,” Lenalee explained easily, knowing that no one had ever understood what her friends meant to her and probably no one ever would.

Daisy hissed as if burned, turning her head away. Without looking, she said bitterly, “I told the others everything I know. What more could you want?”

“Nothing,” Lenalee insisted, anxiety tightening her fists. Daisy was really hurting. “I just wanted to see you again. Lincoln would, too, but he’s busy.”

She might’ve asked her friends to come, but Yuu hated the sterility of the area, Allen hated small spaces, Lavi was busy, and none of them were as close to Daisy anyway.

Daisy neither responded nor looked back at her, but after a moment, she said, “Ward asked me about you, you know.”

Melinda inhaled sharply, and Lenalee felt her heart skip a beat, eyes widening. She straightened up, forehead peeling from the window, and tried to reply, but her voice stuck in her throat.

She’d tried not to think about Ward too much after the near-kidnapping – really, she had.

She’d kind of failed. She didn’t like Ward – he’d dismissed Melinda, hurt Yuu, he’d orchestrated the attack on her and her friends, and… She didn’t like him. Just didn’t.

But – and? – he seemed so _determined_ to have her with him.

Daisy was looking away, so Lenalee couldn’t see her expression, but she continued, “He asked… what you liked to eat. What you liked to play. Who your friends were.” Pause. “He seemed pleased. To hear about you, I mean.”

Melinda moved then, appearing behind Lenalee to give Daisy a stern look. “Did you tell him about her origin?” she asked sharply, betraying nothing but her characteristic focus.

Daisy shook her head. “No,” she muttered. “But only because he didn’t ask.”

Lenalee remained silent, feeling Melinda just behind her and her hands cold where they pressed, fisted, against the door. Her eyes closed, and she scowled faintly at nothing. What did Ward think he was _doing?_

It was Melinda who broke it again, her hand closing protectively around Lenalee’s arm. “Good. Thank you for informing us, Daisy, but Lenalee and I had best be going.”

“May.” Daisy was sitting up a little more when Lenalee opened her eyes, Daisy’s gaze clearer than it had been thus far, focused on Melinda over Lenalee’s shoulder. “He said that he was going to take Lenalee.”

Lenalee could feel Melinda’s hand tighten over her arm, and her own heart went cold, despite the suspicions she’d been developing already.

“We’ll keep her safe,” Melinda said firmly, as much to Lenalee and to herself as to Daisy, and then Lenalee was being helped down from the chair, which was quickly replaced, and Melinda gave Daisy one last nod before leaving.

Lenalee clung to Melinda’s hand and tried not to worry.

She wasn’t strong enough to fight. She might not even be strong enough to run.

Lenalee didn’t want to be a burden on her family.

* * *

“-and the creepy mouth-breathers are probably incurable,” Tony finished, eying the video of the failed Inhumans with no small amount of wariness. “But really, ‘probably’ has never meant much to me before, so if we can hole ‘em up somewhere, why the hell not.”

Simmons made a worried sound in the back of her throat. “That may not be possible,” she pointed out. “In fact, I worry that they might not be able to survive if they’re separated from the hive mind. They really are quite, well, primitive.”

“No pun intended, I’m sure,” Tony said dryly, flashing her a smirk as she frowned at him.

“I agree with Simmons,” Fitz cut in, one fist clenching unhappily. “I mean, after what it did to Daisy…”

“The withdrawal,” Tony acknowledged with a nod and a barely suppressed eye-roll. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, I say.” He waved one hand. “Since the Hive thing has to go anyway.”

Simmons hummed anxiously, but after a moment, nodded reluctantly. “Any news on that?” she asked.

Tony shrugged, flicking the video away to pull up a probably classified report. “Nothing more than what Little Miss Earthquake gave us. Still working on which base they’re planning to launch from – that’s the priority right now, obviously.” He rolled his eyes. “What self-respecting mad scientist works for people who want to turn all humanity into slave monsters? Those things are definitely not capable of appreciating good work, I assure you, and then all your potential admiration and acclaim’s out the window.”

Simmons coughed awkwardly, but Fitz was hiding a grin. Tony matched it with a smirk, and Fitz offered,

“Maybe he has a superiority complex.”

Tony snorted. “Cheap,” he complained. “You can’t brag about how smart you are if you’re _cheating._ And turning everyone else into mindless creatures, that, that is definitely cheating.”

“Well, it’s not like anyone would be able to argue,” Fitz pointed out.

Tony pointed at him. “Still cheap,” he said stubbornly.

Simmons coughed, looking like she was caught between being amused and being offended. “How are the kids, by the way?” she asked, clearly searching for a different topic of conversation.

Tony beamed anyway, distracted. “Pretty great, if I _do_ say so myself!” He grinned. “They’ve been thrilled to get out, you know, we might have to make it a more regular thing. Ordering clothes online is getting kinda old, and half of them don’t fit and the rest stop fitting after about five seconds.”

“And what about with…” Simmons gestured wordlessly at their current work, giving him a questioning look.

Tony sobered up a little, frowning slightly. “Well, you know, better than you’d expect of kids their age. “ He raised his eyebrows. “Shouldn’t you know this already? What, don’t they come by at all?”

“Not when I’m around, generally,” Simmons said ruefully, tapping the table.

Tony made a thoughtful sound. “Huh. You know, Lavi mentioned something like that. Lenalee’s pretty much been their guide around SHIELD and _she’s_ definitely not your biggest fan, and Yuu doesn’t like the labs much anyway.” Actually he more or less refused to go near them, at least the more biologically-oriented ones.

“I heard that,” Simmons admitted with a slight grimace. “I’ve never heard why.”

Tony waved his hand. “Well, you know how it goes with these kids, we actually don’t have a clear idea of why yet. Bucky thinks there was some experimentation thing, but if it’s true then none of them are talking about it, which is, you know, fair, since I probably wouldn’t want to talk about it either.”

Both younger scientists winced.

“The more I learn about them, the less I want to know,” Fitz mumbled, shaking his head.

Tony shrugged, because he both could and couldn’t relate. “Then Lenalee and Allen are taking some gymnastics lessons from May and Natasha, which is more like practice because they seem to more or less know what they’re doing already. I think Allen is trying to out-gymnastics Natasha, which is going to be terrifying if he succeeds.”

“Is that possible?” Fitz asked warily.

“No, but don’t tell him that,” Tony said firmly. It surely wouldn’t end well. “And Lavi and Yuu are doing something similar that’s pretty much just pure self-defense lessons; Steve and Bucky are tag-teaming that. Apparently they aren’t as much for flexibility.” Yuu made funny faces when talking about Allen’s fighting style, and Lavi usually shuddered. It boded ill for Tony’s expectation that he wouldn’t succeed.

“Sounds like they’re expecting trouble,” Simmons commented, frowning. _And like they’re expecting to do something about it,_ she didn’t say, though Tony heard it anyway.

“Can you really blame them?” Tony asked dryly, trying not to grimace.

They considered for a moment.

“No,” Fitz admitted with a wince.

Tony nodded. “Gotta say,” he said thoughtfully, “they’re pretty well-suited for being Avengers brats.” He smiled slightly. “Danger comes with the territory, but they’re used to it already. Maybe it’s a good thing.”

 _In a manner of speaking,_ Tony added silently, but no matter what, their kids would’ve been in danger; as things stood, they were better suited to coping than just about any other.

He just had to try not to think about how they got to where they were.

* * *

 _Statistically speaking,_ Coulson wondered, _how often do they play hero-villain games?_

Coulson was, in theory, supposed to be working, but the three kids’ play distracted him, and he let it, because in all honesty he didn’t spend nearly enough time with his nephew.

Link was staying over for a few days, maybe as much as a week if things went well – the kids had mostly been pleased with it, and the adults mostly resigned to watching over another kid, which at this point might not make a whole lot of difference anyway, with how many they had to look after already.

His office had changed in the past month. No longer were all the files kept in easy-to-reach boxes and drawers – no, there was a lock on most everything now, a keypad one with a fingerprint scanner. He felt it was overkill, but it was better than being bested by toddlers, again.

Meanwhile, Allen, Yuu, and Link, whom he was watching on the basis of his promise to his sister that he would spend _some_ time with his nephew, were playing. Allen seemed to be the villain of this game, while Yuu and Link teamed up against him, chasing him around while he taunted them.

Allen turned on a dime and dove between the two older boys, laughing as he stumbled and nearly fell, then grasped the edge of a crate, placing it between them, and crowed, “Give up, it’s too late!”

Link, lips twitching in a suppressed smile, attempted to edge around the crate and replied, “It’s never too late to try!”

“Don’t _talk_ to him!” Yuu complained, elbowing Link hard enough to make him stumble and turn to huff at him. Yuu smirked. “There’s no reasoning with _him.”_

Allen stuck his tongue out at Yuu. “Beh! Reason doesn’ matter ‘nymore! It’s _useless!”_

Yuu’s smirk turned into a scowl, and he darted around the crate to tackle Allen at the same time that Link reached Allen unnoticed and made to pull him down, and they fell in a tangle that made Coulson half-stand, startled.

Allen let out a yelp that had him crossing the room before he could properly process it, and Link and Yuu scrambled to get off their smaller friend.

“Sorry!” Link apologized quickly, scooting over while Yuu tugged Allen upright, Allen letting out a quiet whine.

“Let me see,” Coulson ordered, kneeling by the three boys. Allen had reached up, working hand hovering by the back of his head and tears visible in his eyes. Coulson nudged the hand aside and felt the bump, listening to the boys as they spoke.

“You alright?” Yuu asked Allen quietly, ignoring Coulson to frown at his friend.

Allen ‘mm’ed, and then smiled hesitantly, letting his hand fall. “Mm-hm. Didn’ hurt much.”

Yuu made a dubious sound, and Link frowned, too.

“Are you sure?” Link asked, sounding extraordinarily suspicious. Coulson removed his hand (yes, Allen was fine) and tried not to smile.

Allen smiled again, a little brighter and warmer this time. “Yeah. Don’ worry.”

Link hesitated, studying Allen for a long moment. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to knock you into the box.”

Yuu nodded in agreement, glancing at said box, and Coulson tried not to be too suspicious of how contrite they seemed.

“Allen’s fine,” Coulson interrupted, voice firm, and Link turned wide, worried eyes on him. “It’s probably stopped hurting already, right, Allen?”

Allen nodded firmly, giving him a pleased smile, and finally, the two others seemed _almost_ convinced. Coulson was expecting hovering. Link was very good at hovering, he’d learned.

“Hey,” Yuu said suddenly, giving Coulson an intent look. “You hear anything ‘bout what HYDRA wants?”

The other two perked up at that, looking at Coulson with _expectant_ looks, and Coulson was torn between wincing and laughing. On the one hand, they were almost more interested in boring current events than in play. On the other, HYDRA was, in fact, a very personal concern for them, not an abstract threat or presence.

“Some,” Coulson acknowledged, deciding to keep his place on the floor for now. Link leaned forward, eyes on him, and Allen tilted his head. “We’ve narrowed down Hive’s current location somewhat, but we haven’t been able to catch any more of Ward’s plans for Lenalee or about Bucky or Yuu.” He frowned a little. “You really shouldn’t worry about it for now.”

“They’re after Lenalee and Yuu,” Link said, quiet and serious and sincere. “That’s _always_ our concern.”

Coulson half-winced and reached over to squeeze Link’s shoulder, running his thumb over the point of it. “But not yours alone,” he said firmly.

Yuu scowled a little. “I wish I was _stronger,”_ he muttered bitterly. “It _shouldn’t_ be a problem.”

Coulson lips twitched ruefully. “You’ll get there,” he pointed out. “Everyone grows up sometime.”

Yuu scowled harder. Apparently the consolation was not appreciated. Fair enough – everyone grew up sometime, but generally they didn’t have to do it _twice._

Link side-eyed Yuu and said quietly, almost shamefully, “My spells still work.”

Coulson hadn’t heard as much about CROW spells as he’d have liked to, and honestly, he was interested, on both a personal and professional basis. Still, he barely caught a glimpse of many, many strips of paper when Link reached into his pocket and pulled them out just enough to make Yuu hiss.

 _“Why?”_ Yuu demanded harshly, scooting away a little.

Link gave Yuu a hurt look. “After what happened to the rest of you?” he asked, and then shrugged. “Thought it’d help.”

Allen scooted closer to Link and gave Yuu a reassuring smile even as he spoke to Link. “It will, prob’ly.” He turned his gaze back to Link, silver eyes warm. “That’s good.”

Coulson smiled a little. “Sounds like you’re as prepared as you can be,” he said ruefully, standing up to return to his desk and, sadly, his work. “Despite all attempts to prevent it.”

Predictably, Yuu scowled. “What’s wrong with it?” he demanded petulantly.

“Nothing,” Coulson denied, smiling a little more genuinely as Allen went to Yuu now to calm him down, eyes sparkling with laughter. “It’ll be quite useful, I’m sure.”

He wished that they’d be safe, but if that wasn’t necessarily achievable, at least that all would end well. They were related to some of the strongest people in the world, after all.

He wondered what their Innocence was like, and, for that matter, how Link’s spells worked.


	60. Chapter 60

“Bucky, Yuu, rise and shine. Emergency protocols are in effect.”

Yuu grumbled as Bucky stirred beside him and the lights flickered on. The man sat up, the covers shifting over Yuu without falling away, and Yuu frowned and opened his eyes, blinking sleepily.

“What do you mean, FRIDAY?” Bucky asked sharply, sounding mostly awake already. “Report.”

“The Playground has been invaded,” FRIDAY explained, tones rapid and precise. “Intruders include two known Inhumans, nineteen HYDRA operatives, and a small army of failed Inhuman experiments, as well as Hive itself.”

Bucky muttered a curse, and Yuu hissed, pulled a face, and pushed himself up as he processed the words, camouflage pajamas rasping against the sheets.

“Bear?” he asked warily, cursing his own drowsiness. Bucky made a swift ‘hush’ motion, crossing to the miniature armory stationed in the room and starting to rummage through it. Yuu scowled but stayed quiet, listening.

“The boss and Steve will pass you Lavi and Allen soon,” FRIDAY added. “Vision has already gone to fetch Lenalee and Link. Steve has suggested you accompany the kids to the Hulk room once they arrive, and I will enforce lockdown.”

Yuu rolled out of bed and let his feet hit the ground. The Playground was being invaded, the five of them corralled off to a safe place so they didn’t get stupidly kidnapped again while the _adults_ were fighting. Except Bucky, because Bucky needed to not have his programming triggered. Okay. Okay.

This sucked. Invasions sucked.

Dammit, if Yuu was going to have his home invaded, couldn’t he at least have a _weapon?_

“Good,” Bucky said firmly, strapping the last of his knives to his thigh, his guns in place and his eyes clear and focused now. “Tell Vision that I’ll meet him by the front door.”

“Done,” FRIDAY said immediately. “The boss expressed his desire to see your terrifying assassin techniques kept to slaying HYDRA agents and stealing his good alcohol, by the way.”

Bucky rolled his eyes, crossing the room to take Yuu’s hand and push the door open, heading out into the hall. “If I told him once, I told him a thousand times, I don’t steal shit from him. It’s usually Wanda.”

Yuu half-jogged to keep up with Bucky until they stopped by the top of the stairwell, glancing over his shoulder to where he could see the doors of the other Avengers starting to open, releasing their occupants, each outfitted in their various battle gear. Steve emerged with his shield slung over his shoulder, still in his pajama pants with a random t-shirt sloppily pulled on. Allen, wearing the Captain America pajamas Tony had gotten him, was cradled easily in one arm, while Allen himself was scrubbing at his face as he shook himself visibly, clearly trying to wake up.

“Bucky,” Steve greeted, worry clear in his voice. “You alright?”

“Just fine,” Bucky answered, not quite able to hide his bitterness. Yuu tilted his head back to frown at him, searching his face briefly before he glanced back at Allen and then to the door, shifting uneasily from foot to foot. “I feel _just fine_ sending you in without me watching your back, Steve.”

Pain trickled into Steve’s expression. “Bucky…”

“No,” Bucky interrupted, shaking his head with a quiet, frustrated sigh. “Forget it, we need to get going.”

“Damn right, we need to get going,” Tony called, hurrying over with Lavi in tow, jogging slightly to keep up and clearly more awake than either Yuu or Allen. “Good thing Pepper’s away, eh?”

“Yeah, real good,” Steve agreed, completely genuinely. “Bucky? You ready?”

“For what?” Bucky asked, more wry than irate this time. Steve smiled ruefully, and glanced down at Allen.

“Did you three catch what’s going on?” Steve asked, keeping his voice serious.

Yuu and Allen both nodded, Allen’s hand falling away from his face, and Lavi hopped anxiously from foot to foot, glancing in the general direction of the main SHIELD building, his yellow, cartoon car-dotted pajamas contrasting sharply with his expression.

“Yeah,” Lavi confirmed aloud, not quite keeping the nervousness from his voice. “HYDRA’s attacking base, right?”

“Exactly,” Steve confirmed, and then, confidently, “But you don’t need to worry.” He smiled a little, gentle and sincere in a way that reminded Yuu of Allen. “We’ll drive them off. We’re not Avengers for nothing, after all.”

Yuu crossed his arms and scowled at him, because being the best at something was very different from being invincible. Allen, though, nodded, and Lavi managed a half-grin.

“Of course it’s not for nothing, we’re the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the sirens of the sea,” Tony shot off, breaking the moment easily with a tense smirk. “Those two-bit HYDRA ain’t got nothing on us.”

Steve favored him with a small smile of his own, and Bucky broke in,

“You’d better get going. I’m surprised SHIELD isn’t screaming for backup already. What’s the point in having the Avengers living next door if they don’t help out?”

“Hell if I know,” Tony said, and then, to Lavi, “We’ll be back in two shakes of Dummy’s arm-head, got it, little buddy?”

Lavi gave him a small grin and a nod. “Got it. Knock ‘em dead, Dad!”

“That’s the spirit,” Tony said, and nodded to Steve a little more seriously before taking off, presumably for his armor.

“Stay safe,” Steve said quietly, bending over to let Allen half-spill onto the floor. Allen regained his feet swiftly and turned to look at him, nose scrunched in worry. “Do as Bucky says, and try not to dwell on things too much. Everything will turn out fine.”

Allen’s eyes lingered on Steve for a long moment, and then he nodded. “We’ll be fine,” he replied softly, and he smiled, laced his fingers behind his back, and echoed, “Stay safe.”

Steve’s smile warmed. “I will,” he said firmly, and straightened up, gave Bucky a grateful smile, and then took off.

Bucky stared after him for a moment, and then, when Yuu tugged his hand pointedly, cleared his throat. “Time to go,” Bucky announced, starting forward again.

Allen edged aside to stand by Yuu, close enough for their shoulders to brush, and Yuu let him because the memory of Allen’s fear was still too vivid and sharp. Lavi, meanwhile, pressed in close by Bucky’s other side, nearly getting under the man’s feet and almost vibrating with nervous energy.

Bucky himself seemed agitated and distracted, but he pushed forward, silent as the night assassin he was.

Vision was waiting by the front door, as expected, with Link and Lenalee beside him, close and murmuring to each other with the same tension crackling around them.

Vision offered a small, kind smile as they approached, hovering a few inches above the ground. “Bucky, thank you for your agreeability. I know it is difficult.”

Bucky shook his head once, rough and frustrated. “Not like there’s much choice,” he murmured. “Anyway, someone has to look after the kids; God knows they attract as much trouble as we ever have.”

“What is it?” Link hissed to Lenalee, worry leaking into his voice, rubbing fretfully at his plain green pajama shirt. “Why doesn’t he have a choice?”

Lenalee turned briefly startled eyes on him, and then made an X gesture over the dark red material of her nightshirt, shaking her head. “Tell you later,” she said quietly, while Yuu scowled at the ground, scuffing his foot across it uncomfortably.

Allen nudged him, shoulder to shoulder, subdued and solemn. “It’ll be okay,” he said with complete confidence, silver eyes shining earnestly at Yuu’s.

Ugh. Yuu had forgotten how obnoxiously optimistic Allen could be.

His lips twitched into an almost-smirk and he shrugged, shaking his head and glancing up as Vision was waved off, into the fray presumably taking place primarily in the building next door.

It fell swiftly, anxiety and anger working together to draw his muscles tight. Bucky cleared his throat and jerked his head in the direction of the Hulk room.

“Get your butts moving, we need to be in that room yesterday,” Bucky said firmly, moving around the ground to urge them on. “Last I checked there were some books and a really big bed in there – Allen, you go back to sleep, you look like you’re about to fall over. Yuu, don’t think I can’t see you rubbing your eyes.”

“I wanna stay up,” Lenalee said instantly, and Yuu agreed, but ducked in after Lavi into the Hulk room without complaint.

“Yeah, I don’t really blame you,” Bucky agreed. “Tell you what- I’ll give you a few more fighting tips if you promise not to tell anyone. Some of ‘em get a little twitchy.”

Lenalee smiled brightly, and Lavi perked up a little as well, while Link tilted his head. Yuu was torn between interest and- well, it was really damn late.

“Let’s do it,” Yuu said firmly, half-turning to watch Bucky shut the door behind them.

“Security protocols activated,” FRIDAY announced a second later, “and the cameras have been mysteriously deactivated, Bucky, if you want to go through with your promise.”

Bucky half-grinned. “You’re a pal, FRIDAY.” Then, “Allen, to bed.”

Allen let out a grumpy half-whine, but Yuu shoved him hard enough to make him stumble, and Allen scowled at him but then moved over to haul himself onto the bed, and in seconds he was asleep.

“You promised,” Lavi reminded Bucky, still shifting from foot to foot but smiling anyway, nervous though it may have been.

“I promised,” Bucky agreed, with a terse smile of his own.

That distraction lasted half an hour, during which the tension dissipated not at all. After that, Lenalee went to curl up beside Allen, still awake but motionless, and Lavi and Link went to read, while Yuu stayed with Bucky, quiet and uncomfortable.

Ten minutes later, FRIDAY barely had time to warn them, “Someone is attacking my sys-”

Her voice cut off abruptly, and Yuu didn’t even have to look to see Lavi’s eyes widening in terror and worry. Instead, Yuu whipped around and looked at Bucky for answers, heart racing in the beginnings of panic.

Bucky was frowning, perfectly still, breath falling into a slow, steady pattern. Thinking.

The whole room was still, most of them watching Bucky, in various states of tension.

Finally, Bucky exhaled harshly and started, “Get into the corner, just in ca-”

_“Zhelaniye. Rzhavyy. Semnadtsat’.”_

The voice coming over the speakers was not FRIDAY’s. It took Yuu about half a second to recognize the language and go cold, the breath leaving his body in a whoosh.

“Shit!” Bucky snarled, drawing his gun to turn on his heel, searching the ceiling for the source of the voice.

_“Rassvet. Pech’.”_

But of course, there wasn’t a recognizable speaker anywhere. Tony had designed it that way.

“Bear?” Yuu asked, voice wavering uncertainly. He faltered between snarling and falling back, and instead remained frozen in place, waiting like an idiot.

_“Devyat’. Dobroserdechnyy.”_

_“Fuck!”_ Bucky tossed his gun away, and then another, and then a knife, all of them falling out of easy reach with loud, obnoxious clatters and bangs. “Yuu-” His voice nearly broke, and the fear was making Yuu feel sick, which wasn’t- He glanced around, eyes flicking to each of his friends, and then looked back at Bucky, who twitched and snarled with each word, movements becoming jerky. “Yuu, _hide.”_

_“Vozvrashcheniye na rodinu. Odin.”_

“What?” Yuu managed, taking a half-step forward and then a full step back. Link was already moving though, planting himself between Bucky and Allen and Lenalee. Lenalee was waking Allen, swift and urgent, brow furrowed with worry.

“And don’t listen, Yuu!” Bucky snapped out, stepping back, away from his weapons.

_“Gruzovoy vagon.”_

Bucky- stopped. His expression faded away, and he straightened up, eyes going distant and unaware. He stood at attention, as a soldier waiting for orders.

Yuu’s breath stuttered, and his mind went blank. He just stared at Bucky, eyes wide, and finally realized what that had been.

Bucky’s control code.

_“Soldat?”_

_Soldier?_

“Ready to comply.” No emotion at all. Like he’d been before.

_“Voz’mite glavnuyu missiyu a vernut’sya, Soldat.”_

“Ponyal.”

 _Take – missiyu – return._ That was what Yuu made out of Bucky’s orders. It was enough.

Bucky set his eyes on Yuu.

“Dad?”

Bucky moved.

He was fast, leaning down to swipe a knife off the ground before lunging for Yuu. Yuu yelped and jerked away, raising his hand to block the knife with the palm of his hand. The sharp edge cut deeply into his palm, and he let out a breathless gasp-cry of pain, jerking his hand back.

 _“Yuu!_ Get down!”

Yuu dropped, rolling clumsily away from Bucky, blood trailing across the floor, and Bucky turned, brow furrowed in concentration and the beginnings of confusion. Still locked in place, Link had dug his tags out from somewhere, and in a moment, he tossed them, letting them scatter into the air.

“Binding Wings!” Link called out, voice loud and strained.

The scattered spell strips straightened themselves out and shot out in a circle, surrounding Bucky. Bucky frowned and lashed out, but the spell prevented his knife from even making contact with the bewitched paper.

A crackle of activation drove Bucky to his knees with a yell of pain, and Yuu pushed himself, stumbling, to his feet, the cut in his hand already sealing.

“L-” Yuu cut himself off, chest tight, cradling his hand. _Let him go,_ he wanted to say, _let him go now,_ but- But-

 Link met his eyes, looking almost as horrified as Yuu felt, hands still held out in front of him. Yuu held his gaze, stiff with indecision, and it was Lavi who broke it.

“We need to go.”

Lenalee and Allen were both up now; Lenalee was heading toward Lavi, glancing periodically at Bucky with worry and wariness both clear in her face, and Allen was holding onto Link, tugging him toward the door.

“But-” Yuu’s throat closed this time, his silence involuntary, and he made a false motion toward Bucky, a lump forming in his throat.

“No!” Lavi hissed, green eyes serious and worried. “Yuu, we’ll figure something out, but we need to leave. We can’t fight your dad, and we need to be _not here._ Link can’t hold this forever, y’know?”

“There’s HYDRA agents out there,” Yuu argued, and failed not to flinch as Bucky lashed out at the spell circle again, silent and deadly. “And they can-”

“We’ll keep you away,” Lavi said urgently, “but we can’t stay trapped here!”

“Shut _up!”_ Yuu half-snapped, tears burning at his eyes.

Allen appeared in front of him and Yuu looked down, half expecting the wide-eyed worried look. But no. Allen was frowning at him, chubby and small, but with the same burn in his silver eyes as always.

“Kanda,” he started fiercely. Yuu’s breath hitched, but he didn’t take his eyes off Allen’s. “We need t’ go. Don’ let Bucky do sometin’ he’ll regret, okay?”

Kanda stared at him for a moment, and then hissed and turned away, toward the door.

“Fine,” he snapped, voice cracking. “Fine, let’s go, let’s just go.”

Allen gave him a brief, distressed look and Kanda hated it, and then Lavi was by the door, whispering something to the wall, and the door was open and they were out.

Yuu was the last out, but the door was shutting behind him already, and Link let out a breathless sigh as he released the spell, and Lavi murmured something to make the door lock itself again.

“What now?” Link asked, pressing back against the door and glancing back at it warily. There was a bang from the other side, a dent forming above his head, and he jerked away from it.

“It’s probably not safe to stay here,” Lavi said quietly, reaching out to pull Link away from the door. “HYDRA’s looking for Lenalee and Yuu, right?”

 _“What?”_ Link hissed, alarmed. He was ignored.

“Mm-hm,” Allen confirmed anxiously. “Tha’ prob’ly part of why this is happenin’.”

Yuu rubbed at his face and reminded himself that he was _not_ crying. “Can we wait it out somewhere?” he rasped at last. “We can’t go into the other building, it’s full up of HYDRA people and _things.”_

“Yuu, they’ll probably attack this building too,” Lenalee pointed out, hands drawn close to her torso, one heel grinding against the ground compulsively. “We need to find someone.”

Yuu took a deep breath and clenched his fists, then reached up to rub a hand over his forearm. “Okay,” he said at last, voice rough. “Let’s find…” He hesitated. Scott would be small at the moment, Steve needed to lead-

“Daisy,” Lenalee suggested, fidgeting. “She’s in an isolation room, so her place would be safe too. She’ll let us in.”

Allen hummed his agreement, and Lenalee smiled, faint and distant, and turned to lead the way, everyone else falling in behind her to move from one building to the other.

As expected, the usual guard was gone, all agents being rather preoccupied. They got in uncontested, and immediately hid from a passing contingent of creepy monsters.

All of them held their breath until the group had passed, and then Lenalee nodded them onward.

The sounds of fighting and shouting filtered down the hallways and the vents, as sourceless as FRIDAY’s voice, surrounding them in the chaos of the fight they weren’t yet involved in.

Lenalee led them down a series of smaller, darker places, out of the way and obscure. Allen was breathing too fast – he’d hated small spaces for as long as Yuu had known him, but it had become much, much worse after they’d rescued him. Obviously.

Yuu reached out and grabbed his elbow and pushed him forward. They needed to go.

Link took up the back, fidgeting with a number of tags – flame tags, Yuu was pretty sure. Lavi was just in front of him, Allen behind Lenalee, and Yuu in the very middle of them all.

It was about five hallways down that their luck ran out.

“They’re not going to be in here. SHIELD might be weak, but they’re not _stupid.”_

“Some might disagree with you on that.”

“They’re not going to keep their _children_ out in the _open_ during a _fight,_ don’t be an idiot.”

Yuu held his breath, pressing back into the darkness. He glanced over to meet Lavi’s wide eyes, and Lavi pressed a finger to his lips, tilting his head toward Allen, beside Yuu. Yuu nodded slightly and moved to block Allen from view – out of all of them, he was the most conspicuous.

“Sure, maybe not the children, but the weapon? Why not?”

“You know how SHIELD is.”

“What’s the harm in looking, I don’t know, _in the building where they live.”_

“The Winter Soldier’s in that building. Do you want to be in a building with an angry Asset, because I fucking don’t.”

“The Asset is _under control.”_

“You don’t know that! You go there by yourself!”

“God, you’re such a coward.”

Link shifted, his fingers curling around his spell tags, and looked at Lenalee, glancing back briefly in question. Lenalee shook her head.

Then Lavi clamped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide. It took Yuu a moment to understand, but then his inhaled sharply and shook his head furiously. Lavi took a deep breath and held it, and Lenalee nudged him back anxiously, wary and frightened.

Lavi took another, shorter breath, and sneezed.

All of them stiffened.

“…Hey, did you hear something just now?”

One of the agents turned their head toward them, and Link threw a handful of spell tags at their face.

“Flame Wing!” Link snapped, and they turned and ran.

There was cursing behind them – the spell must’ve been weaker than Link used to be capable of, because they didn’t sound much more than fazed and maybe in moderate pain. Certainly not burnt to a crisp like those tags were capable of.

Lavi.

Yuu turned, eyes wide, and sure enough, Lavi had taken a few stumbling steps, but mostly his eyes were fixed on the lingering fire, and it looked like it was an exertion of will just not to _stop._

“Lavi!” he snarled, already turning to go get him, because like _fuck_ Lavi was getting left behind.

But of course, Lenalee beat him to it, because Lenalee was horrifically protective of idiot Lavi. She darted back and grabbed Lavi by the wrist, and then Allen was there tugging at the other, and Link looked horrified with himself and was scrabbling for more spell tags, but-

“I’m all out!” Link yelped, patting at his pockets. “ I didn’t make that many!”

“And alone to boot,” one of the agents said with smug appreciation. “They must’ve gotten out of wherever they were holed up.”

Lenalee yelped as her arm was seized, and she was pulled away from Lavi and thrown over the agent’s shoulder. She instantly started squirming and kicking, and the agent pressed down harshly enough to make her yelp.

“Hey, gentle with that one!” the opposite agent warned, sounding apprehensive. “I think we’ll actually be shot and left to drown in the ocean if she has so much as a bruise.”

“Fine,” the agent snorted, reaching out to press on something in her neck that made her go limp.

‘Lenalee,’ Allen mouthed, and Yuu could see him glancing around frantically for anything he could use, but it was a _hallway,_ a dark one, it was _bare._

And then Yuu could see Allen gearing up to do something stupid, like the _idiot_ he was. So he pushed Allen roughly toward Link – who, sure enough, caught him easily, in a grip strong enough to keep the three year old in place – and threw himself at the agent holding Lenalee.

He wasn’t letting Lenalee get taken away from him.

“Get Steve!” Yuu snapped over his shoulder, reaching up to try and force the agent over and down. Where was his Innocence when he needed it? Why wouldn’t it fucking _activate?_ “Or _anyone,_ it doesn’t matter!”

“Y-Yuu,” Lavi managed, and Yuu didn’t need to look to see uncertainty and guilt and apprehension, because Lavi wasn’t an idiot, he knew what would happen.

 _“Now!”_ Yuu snarled, and he was pried off the agent and then there was a needle in his arm and he was terrified, there was no getting around that, he was-

* * *

When the smoke cleared and the HYDRA agents and the Primitives alike were gone, Hive leaving smug despite not getting any of the Inhumans, Steve let out a long breath of relief and turned.

“Daddy!”

And it was gone.

Steve turned toward the voice so quickly he nearly gave himself whiplash. “Allen, what are you-” The words died on his lips.

Allen’s face was plastered with tears, and he was stumbling over and then reaching up to tug harshly at Steve’s arm. Link came moments later, dragging Lavi, who looked unhurt but stunned and horrified.

“Daddy, they got caught, they did somethin’ to Bucky an’ we had to leave and someone found us-”

“What?” Steve asked, breath catching as he tried to catch up even as his adrenaline went down.

Allen looked frustrated. “Lenalee an’ Yuu got caught!” He took a deep breath and tugged again, more as an expression of feeling than to get Steve’s attention. “An’ they might have Bucky, too!”

 _“Shit,”_ Steve breathed, and then he was reaching up to activate his comm unit, hauling Allen up with his other arm. “Guys, we have a problem, we need scanners out and someone tracking the flights-”


	61. Chapter 61

The Primitives had been cleared out, Hive driven away, and all Inhumans kept safe save those already under Hive’s control. They’d moved from battle mode, therefore, straight into a different sort of intensity as Bucky (indeed gone from the Hulk room), Yuu, and Lenalee were tracked, a desperate attempt to find them before any further harm could be done. At the same time, the clock was likely ticking until the missile was fired and some significant part of the population turned into Primitives, unable to think for themselves.

Daisy was apparently immune to Hive’s mind control now, which would be better news if she weren’t having a rather intense breakdown about it. Link spared a moment to be thankful that, if nothing else, he had never been brainwashed into _begging_ to work for the enemy.

Well. Not the same way Daisy had been, anyway.

He glanced at Lavi and winced; Lavi had been withdrawn and unhappy since the base had resettled. Tony was off working to stalk HYDRA’s tracks however he could, Steve was pacing restlessly, and Natasha making his usual rounds. Scott was watching them, in a room that was out of the way but on base, but even he was quiet, still in his Ant Man suit with the helmet off.

“I’m sorry for scaring you,” Link said at last, stiff and halting and not looking at Lavi anymore.

Lavi huffed softly, and Link heard him shift around a little.

“Doesn’t matter,” Lavi muttered, sounding uncharacteristically bitter. “I shouldn’t have frozen up like that. It was… it was stupid.” His breath hitched.

Link shook his head furiously. “No, it wasn’t,” he said firmly.

“I got us _caught,”_ Lavi hissed, voice two octaves above normal. “I got-” He stopped, shifted away, and said instead, “I almost did HYDRA’s job _for_ them.”

“It wasn’ eiter of your fault,” Allen murmured consolingly, though he couldn’t hide the disconsolate tone of his words. “It… it jus’ happened.”

Scott shifted noisily, and all of them looked up to him as he approached, dropping down beside them to meet them at eye level. He looked serious, not smiling, not cheerful, but not stern or forbidding either.

“You all did remarkably well,” he said firmly, meeting their gazes one by one as they stared at him anxiously. “You shouldn’t have been as at risk as you were.” A flash of a bitter smile, there and gone. “That was on us, if you remember.”

Lavi managed a smile, though it looked sickly and unhappy. “You locked us in a Hulk-proof room with a master assassin bent on our safety,” he pointed out.

“Apparently that wasn’t enough,” Scott returned, and it was clear he meant to put humor in his voice but he just as clearly failed. “You attract too much trouble.”

A few flickering smiles, trying to cheer up, but they were gone quickly. Link was the first to look away, scooting back a little on his heels.

“I hope they’re okay,” he murmured, soft and worried.

Allen shrank a little, biting his lip and reaching to rub his wrist with the opposite hand, and didn’t reply, Link’s same worries echoed in his silver eyes.

“They will be,” Scott said, and now his voice was stern. “Remember, we’re doing everything we can to get them back, and we won’t stop until we do.”

“But what about when they get back?” Lavi asked quietly, eyes wide with fear.

“It doesn’t matter,” Allen said, voice a little steadier and a little more sure of himself this time. When they looked at him, his eyes were steely, and his fidgeting had stilled. “We’ll help them, no matter what.”

* * *

Lenalee woke up with sore arms, sore legs, and a sore head, laying in a bed that was too big for her.

She was tempted, at first, to just curl up and go back to sleep, but then things started to register – the unfamiliar room, the fact that she was alone. She was still in the same dark red pair of pajamas.

Lenalee pushed herself up, looked around, and felt her fingers tighten in the sheets, unease curling in her chest.

Where was she? Was she with HYDRA? Was Yuu? What about everyone else, were they okay? Had they driven off the invasion or-

Lenalee took a deep breath and dropped off the side of the bed with a soft pat – her shoes were gone, and the floor was cold concrete. Trying to ignore her own trembling, she glanced around, taking in the room in a little more detail.

It looked basic, borderline military, with plain walls and utilitarian furniture – a twin bed, a table, two chairs. The door was flat, white-painted wood, and when Lenalee tried it, it was locked. She couldn’t find her shoes anywhere, she realized, and got only as far as peeking under the bed before she heard a click.

Lenalee went still, listening instead of turning back to the door, and heard it open. Behind her, a single person walked in, the patter of shoes on concrete slow and confident.

“Hey there, baby girl. Why don’t you turn around so I can finally see your face again?”

Lenalee brought her hands up, close to her chest, and wished she was wearing something more substantial than thin cotton pajamas. She missed her uniform.

She balled her hands into fists, still pressed to her chest, and took a deep, slow breath.

“Don’t call me that,” she said, as firm as she could manage. And she turned around.

It was Ward, of course, exactly as she remembered him, maybe in slightly better health- though by now she knew his voice better than his face. He was smiling, charismatic with a carefully constructed wry twist, dressed in a plain shirt that covered his arms and a pair of jeans. He was holding a cupcake, purple-frosted, so perfect that it had to be store-bought. His smile widened as she met his eyes.

“It’s me,” he said, strangely earnest, as if she may not have recognized him. “Your father. It’s good to see you in person.”

Lenalee bit her cheek and, instead of trying to untangle the ball of anger and fear taking up too much room in her chest, asked, “Where are we? Where’s Yuu?” Yuu was the only other one HYDRA really wanted, so maybe-

Confusion entered briefly into Ward’s eyes, making his smile falter. “Yuu?” The smile returned. “Oh, the escaped ubiytsa. Of course; Daisy mentioned that you were friends.”

“Where _is_ he?” Lenalee demanded, raising her voice as frightened tears stung her eyes. “Where’s Yuu? Where are my friends?”

Ward raised his hands in surrender, one of them still comically holding the cupcake. “Easy now, calm down. Allen, Lavi, and Link should all still be at SHIELD; I ordered that specifically. Your… _other_ friend is back where he came from. One of his handlers should be with him now.”

The safety of her other friends wasn’t enough to prevent the lump in her chest from rising into an ache in her throat, and before she knew it, she was letting out a high, involuntary whine, tears welling thick and blurry in her eyes.

Ward looked alarmed. “Hey, no no, none of that, none of that.” He hastily set the cupcake on the table and crouched down a few feet in front of her, still holding up his hands in a gesture of peace. “Look, it was never meant to escape-”

The whine rose into a wail, and she reached up to press her hands over her face. Why couldn’t people just leave Yuu alone? Why did this keep happening to _him?_

“…Shit.”

Face covered and eyes squeezed shut, Lenalee ignored the brief clatter and commotion in front of her. A bang, a curse, and then one of her hands was being pried away from her face, her fist forced open, and something papery and delicate forced into it.

She closed her fingers automatically, without really registering it, and her eyes popped open to stare at Ward. Ward stared back, visibly frazzled and clearly expectant. After a moment of this, he cleared his throat and made an aborted half-gesture to the object in her hand.

“Cupcake,” he clarified, apparently concerned that she hadn’t noticed or reacted appropriately.

Startled out of her dismay and into something much closer to blank shock, Lenalee spent a few minutes looking from Ward, to the star-sprinkled cupcake, back to Ward. Ward still looked expectant, and a little apprehensive.

Lenalee’s expression twisted into a scowl, and before he could react, she drew her arm back and threw the perfect cupcake at Ward’s stupid face.

It hit him on the jaw and smeared purple frosting across his cheek before it bounced off and rolled away over the floor. Lenalee glared at him, fists clenched and tears still making the world shine.

Ward stared at her for a moment, mouth open as he processed that. Then his expression shifted subtly, and _oh,_ now he was angry.

With one hand, he reached up to wipe away the frosting. Not looking at her, he said, forcing a light tone into his voice, “You do have a lot of May in you, don’t you?”

Lenalee took a half-step back, and she hated this man, she hated what he’d done and what he’d said and what he represented, and he _hated_ that he was trying to insert himself into her life, that he was acting like he had a right to call himself her family.

He didn’t.

“I _am_ her daughter,” she said defiantly.

“Yes, you are,” Ward agreed ruefully, oblivious to her thoughts, and finally he straightened up again, looking down at her with obvious curiosity, while she tilted her head far back to better hold his gaze. Ward shifted back a little, considering her. “So, well, we’re waiting for a few orders to go through, and we can’t- really leave base at the moment, but I’m sure you’re bored-”

Lenalee was the _farthest_ thing from bored.

“I could show you a movie,” Ward continued, looking more uncertain by the moment. “Daisy said- Lilo and Stitch, right?”

Lenalee scrunched her face up, put her hands on her hips, and tried to lean forward to glare at Ward without breaking eye contact. “I want to go _home!”_

“This is gonna be difficult if you keep being stubborn like this,” Ward joked.

Lenalee’s eyes flashed, and she clenched her fists so hard her fingers hurt.

“I want. To go. _Home!”_ She stomped her foot childishly, knowing tears were streaming down her face again and not caring. Her voice rose to something nearing a scream. _“Why won’t you just leave my family alone?”_

“Ah-” That had startled Ward, and he worked his mouth uselessly, apparently lost for words. Lenalee hissed at him before going to cram herself under the bed.

She needed to get herself and Yuu out of here. Somehow.

She hoped Yuu was okay.

* * *

Yuu woke up with something of a jolt, the jumpstart his curse gave him when it flushed out-

Dammit, why was he still so slow to heal? Sedatives were the _worst._

He squirmed in place, brow furrowing, trying to feel out what was happening. He was sitting up in a chair, he realized, a cheap metal folding one. His hands were behind his back, wrists crossed, and fastened together with something thin and plastic. Around his right wrist only, he could feel something else, sturdier and heavier.

He clenched his jaw, opened his eyes, and lifted his head to meet the eyes of the single man in the room with him.

 _Obrabotchik,_ Yuu registered. He realized dimly that he still had no idea what the word meant.

It was Tariq, the one HYDRA man Yuu didn’t quite hate, staring at him with solemn brown eyes. Yuu swallowed and struggled to recall what little Arabic he’d picked up from the man – four years ago, now, rusty and unused in the back of his brain.

“’Ayn-” Yuu thought about that and aborted. “’Ant ’akhadht-” Dammit. “’Ana-”

Yuu exhaled harshly, squeezing his eyes shut against Tariq’s startled expression. After a moment, he recalled that though Tariq had only ever spoken to him in Arabic, he knew Russian, too – he’d used it with the scientists. Yuu took in a short, unsteady breath and tried again.

“Gde my?” Better. “Lenalee, prinimali- Papa-” No, no, no-

Tariq held up a hand, expression once again solemn and sorrowful. Yuu stuttered to a halt, heart racing, a sting in the back of his throat from frustration and fear.

“I can speak English,” Tariq told him, soft and patient, still edged with surprise. “I do not know how much you remember, but I expect it is very little. I am Tariq, one of your handlers. You are an ubiytsa, an artificial human created by HYDRA to become an assassin. The Winter Soldier took you when he left, and we have taken you back.”

“Obrabotchiki,” Yuu whispered. He supposed he knew what that meant now. Louder, he said, voice hoarse, “You want me to learn how to kill people.” Tariq did not reply; even his expression didn’t change. Yuu took a deep breath. “Where’s my bear? Where’s Bucky?”

Tariq looked startled, and then his expression shuttered, saddening slightly. Nonetheless, he answered. “He’s in cryo at the moment. When we return to the main base, he’ll be wiped and reconditioned.”

Every muscle in Yuu’s body locked up, and he dropped his head, gaze falling to the ground. He scrunched up his nose- he _would not cry-_

“A-atlantida.”

Yuu was stiffening involuntarily before the word had completely left Tariq’s mouth, but the shock, a ripping burn that made his heart stutter in his chest, made him yelp, startled and hurt.

He lifted his head, wide-eyed with alarm, to find that Tariq was no longer looking at him. A remote, previously unnoticed, sat in his hand. Resentment throbbed in Yuu’s chest, and the ache faded from his wrist.

“A shock bracelet,” Tariq explained, making a good attempt at disaffection. “For obedience and emotional control. Hesitate not, you understand.” Yuu stared at him, and Tariq glanced up and cleared his throat. “I understand you’ve been living in the company of the Avengers for some time, yes? With other children, even, quite unlike the… others.”

Yuu jerked his head away, scowling, and could almost feel Tariq’s gaze lingering on his childish pajamas, hear the apology the man dare not voice aloud.

Of course there were others. Of course.

“Wasn’t one human weapon enough?” he demanded, bitter and rhetorical. “Wasn’t two? Why would you-”

“Atlantida.”

Yuu’s jaw snapped shut and his body stiffened. His expression cleared even as the shock hit, and when he yelped this time, it was through gritted teeth.

When the shock ended, his wrist throbbed for a moment before that, too, faded.

“You seem to remember somewhat more than expected,” Tariq commented quietly, with some confusion and some interest and some worry.

Pain and anger twisted into spite.

“Is this keeping your family safe?” Yuu asked the wall, eyes narrowed in a bitter glare. “Do they still think you’re dead? Is this _helping?”_

Silence. Yuu glanced over, scowling, and found Tariq staring at him, startled and clearly alarmed – frightened, even. Despite himself, Yuu felt a prick of regret. He swallowed, and for a few long moments, more, there was silence.

“…’Ana asif.”

Tariq left.

Yuu didn’t know that word.

But that left him alone, and he was sure that if he tried, and he remember the things Bucky had told him, scattered and absent though they’d been-

He took a deep breath, this time for focus, and squirmed until he could get his arms up and over the back of the chair. Then he tumbled forward, stumbled and crouch, hooking his arms under his legs and bringing them to the front.

He brought the zip-tie to his teeth and tightened it, and then, with another breath, lifted his hands and brought them down hard against his torso, tugging in each direction.

The zip-tie broke. Ow.

He shook himself and moved quickly, opening the unlocked door (stupid) and looking around.

It was almost eerily still, the very air seeming to hold its breath in anticipation.

Yuu didn’t care. He just wanted to find Lenalee, and then they could both get Bucky.

The hallways were too long and the world too silent; every door he listened at yielded nothing, and every room he checked inside was empty.

Until he opened another, with a thicker door, just a crack, and slid inside to look.

There weren’t any scientists inside – not anymore. But there was Bucky, in his blue-glowing cryo unit, deep in artificial sleep.

Yuu wavered, eyes on Bucky, still wanting to go find Lenalee, and yet- He couldn’t remove Bucky from cryo himself, he knew, there was too much that needed done and he didn’t know how to do any of it- But-

What settled it was the half-formed memory of FRIDAY being hacked, half-remembered Russian words coming over speakers so clear the man could’ve been in the room, and Bucky’s look of fear as he disarmed himself. If anyone had a way to counter the code ‘just in case’, it would be HYDRA.

He shut the door, breath coming shaky and uneven, and then glanced around until he found something akin to what he wanted – an unlabeled file box sitting on a table.

He dragged a chair over beside it and clambered up, and then looked down, hesitated, and then took a breath and dove in.

At first, he wasn’t sure this was the right box at all. He didn’t recognize any of the people, and there seemed to be too many. But when he looked inside the folders, they all had strings of codewords, nonsense words, and all of them had pictures of people in cryo.

Yuu glanced at Bucky and shivered, feeling sick, and then went to work again.

He found Bucky’s after about fourteen files, and despite himself, a faint smirk flickered over his mouth before he set it aside and moved on, hoping that his own file was also in this box.

When he came to a child’s picture, though, he faltered.

It wasn’t him, and for a moment, he wondered again if he was looking in the wrong box – if his was in another entirely.

But inside, there was a picture of a room like he remembered, and a brainwash code, and Tariq had said that- that there were more.

Yuu clenched his jaw, returned that folder, picked up the next, and flicked it open.

He didn’t drop it. He didn’t fall down, or black out.

But for a second, he forgot how to breathe.

From the page… from the page, Alma’s face – too young, still, almost unfamiliar – stared out, with those brown eyes and messy hair and even that stupid mark across his nose.

Alma. Alma was-

Maybe not here. But. Alive. Back again, to haunt him, and-

The blank shock turned to rage like a flash fire, burning and consuming and gone in another moment to leave nothing behind.

Alma was with _HYDRA,_ in some stage of brainwashing, while Yuu-

Yuu couldn’t read this file by himself, he realized numbly, hands shaking.

So he took a deep breath, stuffed the file up his shirt and held it there with one hand, hoping to God it didn’t fall apart. Then he went back to work.

He found his own about six files later, and pulled it out to sit with Bucky’s. Struggling to focus, he scanned each file half a dozen times before he registered what he was looking for – the countercode, right below the main code in each file, though there were others – lots of others, for Bucky, just a few for Yuu.

He memorized both countercodes, distracted and tense, and then returned both folders clumsily. He felt Alma’s file crackling under his nightshirt, and glanced around.

There was space behind Bucky’s cryo unit, space enough to fit in, so he did, hiding there. The scientists had to take Bucky out sometime, right? Soon, to move him.

Yuu pressed back and tried not to notice that he was trembling.

_Alma, Alma, Alma-_

_Alma’s alive._


	62. Chapter 62

It was beyond Lenalee why Ward hadn’t tried reaching under the bed to get her yet, but she was more than willing to take advantage of it.

She turned her head slightly to frown at Ward, who was leaning down, cheek very close to the ground, peering under the bed at her, looking at her like she’d just spilled a bucket of mud all over the floor. Or thrown a cupcake at his face.

“Come out from under there,” he said again, trying to sound stern but just sounding frustrated instead. “Stop being so ridiculous, you’re four years old already!”

“Four and a half!” she said petulantly, wishing she could push herself actually through the wall and to the other side. She needed to find Yuu, only God knew what was happening to him now, and they needed to get home.

She could actually see him refraining from rolling his eyes. “Was I this unreasonable when I was four?” he muttered under his breath.

The thu-thump of a knock on the door disrupted the stalemate, and she saw, through what window the gap under the bed allowed her, Ward sit up and turn to face the window, leaving just his half-folded legs in sight. She contemplated punching the backs of his ankles.

“What is it?” Ward asked the door, low and irate.

The door opened, and Lenalee, now that Ward wasn’t looking, peeked out from under the bed to get a better look.

It was an agent – he was wearing the uniform, and all – looking apprehensive, eyes flicking between Ward and Lenalee. He cleared his throat. “Sir, there is an emergency. With the ubiytsa. It requires your immediate attention.”

Lenalee’s hands formed fists on the ground, icy worry freezing the pit of her stomach. Ubiytsa, where had she heard- Yuu. Yuu must have gotten out.

 _Don’t leave me behind,_ she thought to him – not because she was worried he’d leave alone, but because she _refused_ to be _useless._

“What kind of emergency?” Now Ward sounded a little more focused. One of his hands went down to press against the ground, just the fingertips, and he started to stand-

Lenalee, with all the force she could muster, burst out from under the bed and surged forward. She staggered as she gained her feet – not much, but more than she could afford. The agent in the doorway was wide-eyed with shock, so she had a moment- Her ankles burned and it urged her on, bringing out a desire to go faster, run, jump-

Two hands closed around each of her arms, right up near the shoulder, and while she struggled, she wasn’t nearly strong enough to shake Ward off.

“What, exactly, is the situation, Agent Dwayne?” Ward asked the man, as if he wasn’t holding onto a violently squirming toddler.

The man stared. Slowly, Lenalee let her struggles slow, and then, finally, slumped, eyes dropping to the ground, stinging with tears she didn’t let fall.

“The…” The man cleared his throat, gaze flicking back to Ward as if looking at Lenalee was something forbidden. “The ubiytsa escaped, sir. We’re not sure where it is now, but it disappeared when its handler briefly left it to report.”

Lenalee’s eyes widened, snapping to the agent’s even as he avoided them. Her heart pounded in her chest, desperate and anxious, as she kept her gaze fixed on him. Then, abruptly, she cut it to the side, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then let it out, slow and breathy.

Yuu was a step ahead of her, as usual, charging recklessly on ahead no matter what it took. He was so _impatient._

Lenalee didn’t know how big the base was, or how far from home, but it didn’t matter, because either way, she and Yuu needed to make it home. All that could change was how hard it would be, and how long it would take.

Unless SHIELD found them first, she realized. Melinda would demand they look, and Coulson would never dream of refusing – and that was _before_ the Avengers came into the picture.

One way or another, though, she needed to get to Yuu.

“Why wasn’t it restrained?” Ward asked sharply. Lenalee’s fists clenched, and she ground her bare heel into the rough floor in frustration.

“It was,” Dwayne explained grimly. “It broke its restraints; they were on the floor when the handler returned.”

Ward hissed. “And now it’s loose, not hours before the missile needs to go off. Who knows what could happen.” Lenalee’s heart stopped – _missile? As in…?_ – and Ward, oblivious, glanced down at her to ask, “Is your friend angry often?”

Lenalee took a breath to gather herself up and glare, not caring how ridiculous it would look with tears in her eyes, on a four-year-old’s face. “Yes, he is,” she snapped, just angry enough to keep her voice steady. “Because people keep _hurting him.”_

Ward nodded at the first part and apparently ignored the rest, and Lenalee hated him so much.

“Order a search and tell them to be wary,” Ward told Dwayne, managing to look in control without either standing or letting go of Lenalee. “We don’t know what it’s capable of.”

“Yuu,” Lenalee hissed at him, feeling the start of a tremble in her fingers and knees, “isn’t an _it._ He’s a person! A better one than _you_ are!”

Ward paused, and Lenalee felt a ripple of tension flicker through his fingers, manifesting in the smallest of involuntary squeezes. Then he nodded curtly to Dwayne.

“Dismissed,” he said coldly.

Dwayne apparently knew better than to question, though his eyes flicked briefly to Lenalee before he nodded silently and left, shutting the door behind him with a gentle ‘click’.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Ward transferred his attention back to Lenalee and maneuvered so they were facing each other. His grip, she noticed, was still just as firm as when Dwayne had been present.

“You’re still very young,” he said, in a calm, carefully controlled tone. “So I won’t hold that against you. But _don’t_ speak to me that way again.”

Lenalee considered him for a moment, and then lunged forward.

Headbutting someone, she learned, hurt a lot more when you were smaller than they were.

Ward yelped and reeled back, thrusting his arms forward to hold her at arm’s length. For a moment, he hissed and made faces and shook his head like a dog, and Lenalee clenched her jaw against a gasp as his grip tightened substantially.

Then he refocused on her.

“You,” he started, with quiet venom, “are an _unbelievable_ brat. You are the most unruly, uncontrollable, unreasonable little-”

With each word, his voice rose in volume and his grip tightened, until Lenalee’s forehead scrunching against it, forcing her breathing to stay steady.

Then, suddenly, he paused, brow furrowing, and he glanced down at where he was holding Lenalee. A moment later, he let go as if he’d been burned, the color draining from his face, and he returned his gaze to Lenalee, eyes suddenly wide and startled.

Lenalee glared at him through watery eyes, and then, registering her release, took a single step away.

“I _hate_ you,” she hissed.

And then she turned on her heel and ran. She had to find Yuu – had to warn him. All their friends were still out there, and if the missile was going off soon, they had a _big_ problem.

She threw the door open, glad it was no longer locked, and heard Ward finally curse and scramble to his feet, reacting belatedly to her flight.

She wasn’t faster than Ward. She knew that. But she had to _try._

Salvation came in the form of an alarm blaring overhead. She glanced over her shoulder, feet already stinging from the harsh contact with the stone floor, and saw Ward visibly hesitating, wavering indecisively.

She turned back to the front and took a hard breath, and when she looked again, Ward was gone.

Good.

* * *

Kanda pressed himself against the wall as if it could keep him grounded in the here and now, a large and immovable surface against his back. His eyes were closed, breath just short of gasping, and arms wrapped around his chest to cling to the folder.

If Alma was in HYDRA, then he had to be alive – probably with his curse restored, as Yuu’s had been, which meant that he would _stay_ alive. No normal human could drive that curse past its breaking point. Even most superhumans couldn’t.

But Alma – the last time Yuu had seen Alma, in the aftermath of the other boy’s second violent storm of desperation, he’d been resigned to death, almost relieved by it. Alma would have been so _upset_ to have been brought back, again, to be molded into a weapon, _again._

And if HYDRA had gotten far enough with Alma – well, Yuu still remembered how confused and disjointed Bucky had been during that first year on the run.

_Alma…_

Yuu’s thoughts were torn from Alma when alarms began to blare overhead. For a moment, he wavered uncertainly, but in the end, he held his ground. Lenalee could take care of herself, he knew, but he wasn’t leaving Bucky.

Alma would have to wait.

Yuu kept his breathing carefully even now, staring at the back of the cryo unit as if that would make things happen faster. Surely the alarm meant _something._ Something had to be happening.

He was rewarded when the door burst open, and a bustle of voices suddenly clamored above the noise of the alarm.

“Start the defrost, we need him _now!”_

“What good will the Soldier do against _all_ of them?”

“Don’t damage him!”

Yuu braced himself against the din, holding his breath. He couldn’t see what the scientists were doing from where he was, but all he had to do was wait until Bucky spoke.

He was still too on edge, Yuu realized abruptly – thoughts of Alma could knock Yuu off-kilter more effectively than anything else in the world, and right now, Yuu was too tense and too distracted.

The alarm cut off at last, and Yuu only just stopped himself from letting out a sigh of relief. He did shift, from one foot to the other, and then leaned back.

The folder crackled, deafening in the immediate aftermath of the alarm. Yuu froze, and from the sound of things, so did everyone else.

“…Did you hear that?”

“Where did it…?”

Yuu tensed, eyes flickering around frantically, but there was nowhere to go. He heard footsteps and shuffling as they began to search the room. He took in a slow, careful breath, eying the gap he’d entered from warily.

But it was the opposite side that Yuu was snatched from, grasping hands reaching to wrap around his arm and side. Yuu tried to throw himself forward, but the scientist leaned forward with a grunt to catch him, and Yuu was dragged bodily out, thrashing spasmodically.

“It’s the damn science experiment,” the person holding him announced, grunting as Yuu continued to struggle.

“What?” The second speaker’s voice came out strangled.

Yuu grit his teeth and forced himself to slow, gaze panning warily over the room. There were four scientists, only one still bent over Bucky, though not without occasional, furtive glances at Yuu. Bucky himself was awake and thawed, staring at nothing in particular, with a blank, indifferent expression Yuu remembered too well.

Yuu took a deep breath, and the arm holding him in the air tightened constrictively.

There was nothing else for it.

“Missiya vypolnena.”

At first, there was no reaction. None of the scientists appeared to recognize the code at first.

Then one of them did.

“Oh, f-”

Bucky blinked, closed his fists, and looked up to meet Yuu’s eyes. For a moment, there was no recognition there, and Yuu’s heart hammered in his chest even as he held his father’s gaze.

A half-second later, Bucky’s expression changed, and he was up and moving. The scientist reeling back from his arm was sent flying into the cryo unit, and the next went into the wall.

The third scientist fled, so Bucky’s final victim was the one still holding Yuu, who was backing away rapidly. That one, Bucky grabbed by the throat with his metal arm, and the scientist barely had time to drop Yuu and scrabble at the hand before Bucky squeezed.

The entire ordeal was over in seconds.

Yuu had to take a moment to adjust, looking around to check that they really were alone now. He let out a breath when he was sure they were, and ignored the feeling of burst vessels healing before they ever got the chance to bruise.

“Yuu?” Bucky rasped after a moment, and Yuu heard the whir of his arm flexing. “What happened? Where are we?”

“We’re at a HYDRA base,” Yuu told him, and it was an actual effort to keep his voice steady. He turned to face Bucky, tilting his head back to look at him. “The rabbit and two-spot got us out, but…” He crossed his arms and scowled at the ground, though it softened very slightly when he noted that the folder was still in place.

“I’m sorry,” Bucky said after a moment, voice thick with regret and painfully sincere. And then, rougher still, “What did they do to you? You’re shaking.”

…Damn it.

“I’m _fine,”_ Yuu snapped, voice cracking. He shut his eyes, forced back tears of frustration and fear, and exhaled.

Bucky was silent for a moment, and then he sighed, too, and Yuu felt his flesh hand briefly brush over his head.

“Are we the only ones here?” Bucky asked, tone shifting to something suspended between businesslike and gentle.

Yuu swallowed and refused, refused to feel guilty, or worried, or- “I think Lenalee is, too.”

“Let’s find her,” Bucky said firmly.

Yuu wasn’t prepared for the rush of relief that followed, but he was glad for it.

Bucky made Yuu wait in the corner nearest the door while he rummaged through the same box Yuu had earlier; his forehead was wrinkled and he grimaced essentially every few seconds, but soon enough he’d come up with Yuu’s folder and his own, and stuffed them in his jacket much the same way Yuu had.

“This should help Tony figure out how to prevent a repeat incident,” he told Yuu, a tone of undisguised relief in his voice.

Yuu nodded silently, shooting a scowl at the door as he shifted impatiently from foot to foot. What had the alarm been for? After the scientists’ desperate reaction to it, he found that he badly wanted to know.

Bucky held out a hand for Yuu to take, expectant, and after a split second’s hesitation, he did.

Then they were going.

The halls were bland and unfathomable. Yuu hated these kinds of halls, because Allen always got lost in them and Yuu could never find him, and it was always, inevitably a huge mess-

They were also, he noted, strangely empty for an active base.

So when they turned a corner and Bucky nearly ran facefirst into Steve, it was almost comical.


	63. Chapter 63

“Steve- Steve, you can stop hugging me now.”

Steve choked out a half-laugh and pulled back, hands lingering on Bucky’s shoulders as if to ensure that he was real, face still slightly flushed and smiling.

“Sorry,” he said ruefully, stopping himself before he could finish reaching up to scratch his head. “I’m just so glad you’re alright.”

And then he bent down and picked Yuu up to hug him, and Yuu yelped and struggled halfheartedly, squirming. Steve laughed for real this time, setting him down a few seconds after, and Yuu huffed, crossing his arms.

Allen already had a penchant for physical affection. Steve was going to make it worse, Yuu just knew it.

(And it said a lot about his state of mind that he almost instantly reached for the folder in his shirt, thinking of another person with the same tendency.)

“I should have known you two wouldn’t stay put,” Steve was saying when Yuu lifted his head again, gaze flickering between the two men. The flush of relief had faded from Steve’s face, replaced by a somewhat more serious expression. “Are you both alright? Is there anything urgent we need to worry about?”

Yuu hesitated, and then, after Bucky had already shaken his head, lifted his wrist, still bound in the steel ring that fit too perfectly around it. It was a force of will to keep it from shaking, as many reasons as there were for Yuu’s mind to be in turmoil.

“Shock bracelet,” he explained haltingly, unwilling to expand on it one way or another.

A flicker of emotion, anger or worry or more, flashed across Steve’s face, and the man reached out to wrap his hand gently around the same wrist.

“We’ll get Tony to take it off as soon as we get back,” Steve promised him earnestly, concern in the creases of his face. He looked, for a moment, as if he was going to say more, but he didn’t, and after a moment, he let go. Yuu nodded, and then retracted his wrist and tucked it against his chest.

Steve cleared his throat, eyes noticeably harder now, and looked back to Bucky, who had the same expression, his mouth a tight, thin line and a vein jumping in his jaw.

“How much do you know about what’s going on here?” Steve asked Bucky directly, going into business mode.

The corner of Bucky’s mouth turned down. “Not much. I only woke up a few minutes ago.”

“The missile we’ve been looking for is here,” Steve explained, startling Yuu visibly and making Bucky’s eyes narrow. “We have plans to make sure Lenalee and Yuu are safe, but we need to take care of that before we leave.”

Yuu’s head jerked up, a breath leaving his lungs before he could start it. “Sprout and Lavi and Link are okay?” he asked, fixing his gaze on Steve’s and trying to stop his breath from doing any more weird things.

Steve glanced down at him, and his eyes softened slightly. “They’re very worried about you,” he told Yuu quietly, as if to keep from startling him, “but they’re fine.”

Yuu didn’t smile, but he felt a little calmer.

Steve kept his eyes on Yuu for a moment, and then looked back up to Bucky.

“What do you need me to do?” Bucky asked, settling his gaze unwaveringly on Steve.

Steve almost smiled. “You’re with me, then?”

“To the end of the line,” Bucky replied, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Steve relaxed, like just hearing the words was a reassurance beyond measure. “We have a plan,” he told Bucky. “Let me call in and let the others know we’ve found you, and then I’ll explain.”

Bucky nodded and glanced down at Yuu, weighing him carefully for a moment. Yuu straightened up and half-scowled at the man, feeling defensive, and Bucky’s mouth twitched again.

“Stay close to me,” was all the man said, and Yuu appreciated it.

A few minutes later, Steve hung up, and the first thing he said, a smile of relief spread across his face, was,

“May found Lenalee.”

* * *

Lenalee didn’t know how long she’d been running, periodically hiding from the occasional HYDRA agent, before her feet were sore and her breath coming in pants.

Shortly after that, though, she heard rapid footsteps coming toward her and turned to duck into the back hall closest to her.

There, she held her breath and kept a wary eye on the main hall, shrinking into the shadows. She waited for the person to come and then pass, but as soon as they were in sight-

Lenalee yelped, soft and high, and nearly cried, relief spreading out from her chest to settle over her like a blanket. Without wasting any more time, she called out, “Mommy!”

Melinda stopped so fast she might’ve tipped if she was any less athletic, and whipped around with her eyes already searching the hall. She found Lenalee in seconds, and something like relief settled across her features. “Lenalee.”

She dropped to one knee as Lenalee approached, and Lenalee plastered herself to her side, breathing shakily with the effort it took to keep from crying. Melinda’s hand went up to settle firmly on her back.

“Are you hurt at all?” Melinda asked immediately, an undertone of tension still running through her voice. “Why are you barefoot?”

“I think he thought it would keep me from running away,” Lenalee mumbled into Melinda’s shoulder, and then pulled away and gave Melinda a smile, eyes shining with held-back tears of relief. “I’m okay.”

Melinda’s expression softened into something close to a smile, and she nodded. “Good,” she said firmly. “We’ll bring you back as soon as we can, but-”

“Missile,” Lenalee nodded, very thankful they already knew. Melinda shot her a startled look, and she half-shrugged, not offering an explanation.

After a moment, Melinda accepted that, and held out one arm.

“I’ll carry you,” she said firmly. “I don’t want you walking around barefoot in a place like this, and we need to move fast.”

“But…” Lenalee faltered over the words, head tilted slightly in concern, and Melinda raised one eyebrow, holding back a smile.

“I think I can fight them off fine even with a toddler attached to me,” she told Lenalee dryly. Then, after a moment of thought, she added, “I may need to take a gun off one of them, though.”

Lenalee smiled, and then stepped forward to cling to Melinda again, and Melinda stood up, supporting Lenalee against her side, and lifted one hand to her ear.

“I have Lenalee,” she announced over the comm.

* * *

It took a while and a lot of talking for Melinda and Lenalee to successfully meet up with the other three – apparently the rest of the Avengers and much of SHIELD were occupied keeping most of the base busy – and when they did, the first thing Lenalee did was run up and hug Yuu.

“I was so worried about you,” Lenalee exclaimed to Yuu, feeling perhaps even more relieved than

Yuu growled and halfheartedly pushed her away. “Worry about yourself,” he countered mulishly. “At least when I get hurt, I _heal.”_

Lenalee half-laughed and let him, but didn’t stop smiling. “But you get hurt so often,” she pointed out, voice higher than usual but steady nonetheless.

Yuu exhaled and frowned at her, but he just shook his head and stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest. Lenalee’s forehead wrinkled with concern, but her attention was redirected when the adults started talking.

“We don’t have time to bring them back,” Steve was saying, a frown on his face as he glanced down at them. Both of them were quiet now, listening. “And there’s nowhere we can bring them without going through a whole lot of fighting first.”

“We don’t have a good track record with that anyway,” Bucky said firmly, flexing his metal arm subtly in a whir of gears and servos. “Things _happen_ when we’re not watching them.”

Steve smiled slightly. “True enough,” he agreed readily. “So I suppose they’re coming with us. But it’s dangerous where we’re going too-”

“I’ll watch them,” Melinda cut across him, apparently impatient. “I wasn’t meant to be part of this group anyway.”

Steve tilted his head toward her in concession. “Okay,” he agreed readily. “Melinda will watch them, and if Hive turns out to be here I’ll take care of him. Bucky-” He faltered, and Bucky’s expression closed off.

Bucky nodded, and when Lenalee glanced over at Yuu, he was hesitating, and then reached forward and tugged firmly on Steve’s sleeve, clearly seeking his attention.

Steve readily looked down, expression questioning, and Yuu hesitated again before speaking.

“Missiya vypolnena,” he told Steve, and then, in explanation, “Dad’s countercode.”

Steve’s eyes widened slightly, and then a hint of relief danced behind his eyes. “Thank you, Yuu,” he said with feeling, and Yuu nodded, letting go and stepping back again, clearly uncomfortable.

Yuu didn’t seem to be in a good mental place in general, Lenalee noted worriedly, and wondered what had happened. It wasn’t normal for something like this to shake him up so badly.

“Then Bucky, you’re on duty for any extra HYDRA agents that come around,” Steve told Bucky, who nodded, looking marginally less unsettled. “I’ll join you if Hive’s not around.”

“You better hope there’s some left when I’m through with them,” Bucky said, and he wasn’t smiling, but there wasn’t as much tension around his eyes as there had been.

Steve grinned, amusement dancing with delight across his face. “There better be.”

Bucky smirked, and they got going.

* * *

Melinda was, of course, extremely efficient even – perhaps especially – when protecting a couple of children. They’d run into five agents so far, a group of two and another of three, and Lenalee had barely had time to see their faces before she and Yuu were ushered away.

Melinda had obtained a gun from the first of these and promptly used it, and it was in her hands now, clutched in a firm grip while she kept close to the two of them, constantly alert.

Steve had his shield on his arm, eyes scanning the hall constantly, and Bucky was just beside him, silent save the little sounds of his breathing and his arm.

In other words, all three adults were firmly in Focus Mode.

Yuu wanted to say something, Lenalee could tell; he was perhaps even more tense than earlier, the subtle, worrying shake not quite faded, and he was shooting her glances every few seconds, then returning his gaze to the adults in front of them.

It was too quiet, she realized. He didn’t want them to overhear, and if he spoke now they surely would.

“Next time,” she murmured to him, and while he started and shot her a sharp look, after a moment, he relaxed and nodded, looking a little more settled even as pensiveness – something Lenalee rarely saw in her oldest friend – took the tension’s place.

Each time so far, Bucky had heard the oncoming agents first, and Steve soon after; this time was no different. Bucky raised one hand, expression turning a little stonier, and Steve nodded. Melinda nodded as well, and with a sharp jerk of her head, she sent Lenalee and Yuu into the nearest side hall, and stationed herself nearby, all of her attention on the brief fight.

Lenalee turned her head to look over her shoulder, and found another group of three heading toward them. They’d have about, oh, thirty seconds before the chaos was over.

“What is it?” she asked Yuu quietly, ignoring the grunts and bangs coming from the main hall.

Yuu scowled, looking uncomfortable and disconcerted, and hesitated for the half-second they could spare before he told her, quick and fervent and unhappy, “Alma’s alive.”

Lenalee’s eyes widened, and instantly Yuu had her full attention. “What?”

Yuu’s arms tightened over his chest, curiously, and his gaze dropped to the ground. “HYDRA has him,” he said, haltingly. “Like they had me. I don’t-”

“We’ll find him,” Lenalee promised earnestly, reaching forward to touch his shoulder lightly. He nodded, looking almost dazed.

“I- need to find out,” Yuu said, without looking at her. “If he’s here.”

Lenalee was about to answer, but another set of footsteps, coming from down the hall they were in, made both of them look up. Melinda moved smoothly to place herself between them and the new threat, and as soon as the agent – a man, alone this time – was in sight, she shot him, ruthless and dispassionate. He fell with nothing but a gasp and a cry.

Lenalee grimaced and looked back at Yuu, and seeing his expression, placed herself between him and the body. “I’ll help you,” she promised.

Yuu nodded again, and Lenalee smiled encouragingly, and then they were off again.

It wasn’t much longer before they finally reached their destination; while there was no missile in sight – and Lenalee wasn’t certain she would have recognized it even if there was – there was a giant computer terminal, along with the most HYDRA agents they’d seen yet, and- Ward. Standing in front of the terminal, arms behind his back, already looking at them, pretending to be perfectly composed and in control.

Yuu glanced at her, brow furrowed, and Lenalee became aware of the mixed fear and hate that had crept onto her face – a worn-out version of an expression she’d worn often around the CROW, before. She hissed and looked away from Ward, crossing her arms.

Yuu considered her for a moment, and then Lenalee let out a short breath as he placed himself between her and Ward, turning to scowl accusingly at the HYDRA head.

It was Melinda, however, who spoke first, despite the twin glares of Bucky and Yuu and Steve’s uncharacteristically dark expression.

“Ward,” she said coldly, fingers tight around her stolen gun, eyes on Ward, who raised an eyebrow mockingly. Melinda’s own expression was stony, her forbidding look confined to her eyes and the tightness of her mouth. “You’re poking your nose where it’s no longer invited again.”

Ward shrugged, his impassive look fading into a facsimile of a smirk. “Are you worried?” he asked lightly, as if joking.

“One hand on her is a bullet in your head,” Melinda replied, no levity in her face or her voice.

Lenalee raised one hand to self-consciously palm her arm, still hidden by the sleeve of her pajamas, and Yuu crossed his arms and glared harder.

Ward’s gaze cut aside, to the agents scattered around the room, waiting for orders.

“Stop the Soldier or the Captain from reaching the terminal,” he instructed. “We need forty-four minutes. And seize the girl and the ubiytsa.” His gaze shifted back to Melinda. “I’ll handle May myself.”

Lenalee tensed, but the next moment, there were other things to worry about. The agents started to shift and move, guns rising and some bringing out other weapons, and while some of them looked afraid, others were smiling.

The adults reshuffled around Lenalee and Yuu, and Lenalee gritted her teeth as Melinda moved close to protect them, while Steve and Bucky moved further out, targeting the agents.

Ward was waiting patiently, she noticed, making no move toward them or away.

The first of the agents reached them, and Lenalee reached out to grasp Yuu’s sleeve, more for the certainty that he was there than to seek comfort. He glanced down at her, visibly wary, but didn’t resist.

Staying out of the way, keeping from being underfoot, wasn’t difficult, precisely, but it took their attention. Sticking close together, they ducked and swayed out of the way, half the height of any of the fighters, only just avoiding some of the kicks and trying not to keep Melinda from moving the way she wanted – though Steve and Bucky did their best, more than a few got by them. They met their ends by Melinda’s gun, or else were tossed away to come back at a later time.

Lenalee hissed softly as a blow met Melinda’s back, making the woman grunt, and Yuu tugged the arm she was holding, distracting her. When she looked at him, he nodded towards one of the corners, and Lenalee danced anxiously around a nearing agent and looked.

There was someone in the corner, she noted, watching the proceedings silently.

She shot Yuu a questioning look, and he half-shrugged. Lenalee accepted the fact that she’d have to wait, and redirected her attention to Melinda, focused on keeping the attention of all the agents who got past the other two and on taking them down one by one.

And then someone else came in.

Whirling on the new entrant, Lenalee recognized, after a moment of hesitation, Hive – there had been a few videos, none of them pleasant. She heard Yuu hiss beside her, clearly as wary as she was, and even Melinda paused for a moment before viciously kicking an agent that had gotten too close to leaning, sending him groaning.

Across the room, Steve and Bucky exchanged a glance, and Steve broke away.

“I wasn’t expecting you to get involved,” Ward said to Hive, and Yuu roughly nudged Lenalee. Lenalee gave him a startled look, and Yuu jerked his head over to the person still hiding in the corner. After a moment of hesitation, Lenalee nodded, and while everyone was distracted, they slipped away.

Lenalee glanced back and saw Melinda following them with her eyes, but she didn’t move to follow, probably because ‘not in the thick of things’ was a good place for them.

Yuu led the way purposefully toward the man, who was visibly startled, but neither moving away from nor toward them. A few yards away, Yuu paused, glanced at her, and explained quietly, “This is Tariq, he might… know.” Paused again, and added, even quieter, “And- if you need it, my safe code is ‘Otpushcheniye.’”

Lenalee set her jaw and nodded, and Yuu turned back to the front, one fist clenched and nearly shaking.

Behind them, the talking ended as Steve challenged Hive, and Lenalee took a breath and tried not to listen.

 _We’ll get home safe,_ she told herself firmly.

_All of us._


	64. Chapter 64

Tariq, Lenalee decided, looked comically alarmed for someone being approached by a couple of small children.

It would have been funnier if Yuu wasn’t wearing a face like he was approaching a Noah.

She laced her hands behind her back and frowned at him – an Arab man she didn’t recognize but took careful note of, wearing the HYDRA uniform, eyes darting between her and Yuu with no small amount of wariness and a slowly dawning comprehension. Behind her, she could hear grunts and yells as Steve, Bucky, and Melinda clashed with the HYDRA forces.

Tariq spoke first, eyes suddenly averted as if uncomfortable.

“You should be with your parents.”

Yes, Lenalee suspected she’d be hearing that one for a very long time.

Beside her, Yuu shifted, arms crossed over his chest, and scowled at Tariq, more from general discomfort than particular hatred, if Lenalee was any judge, though it was a bit of a surprise.

“Why haven’t you shocked me yet?” he demanded of the man, sounding almost offended.

Tariq’s lips quirked up briefly in what Lenalee felt was deeply misplaced amusement, tinged with bitterness.

“I no longer hold the controls,” he replied, spreading his hands in demonstration. “Director Ward demanded them when we first encountered, after your… escape.” The smile disappeared, and he repeated, more urgently, “You should be with your parents.”

Yuu twitched slightly, and Lenalee stepped forward a little, placing herself in front of Yuu but far enough to the side to be out of the way – though she knew Yuu didn’t particularly appreciate the gesture, nor did he need it, she disliked the idea of letting Tariq too close to her friend.

 _“Yuu_ wanted to ask you something,” she said, keeping her voice quiet but pointed. And then, tilting her head slightly without taking her eyes off the man, “And- you can’t get us both before either of us makes a noise.” Probably.

Tariq’s mouth twitched again, but it quickly fell away into wariness, and he crouched, studying Yuu. After a moment, he asked cautiously, “…What did you want of me?”

Yuu stared back at him for a moment, eyes dark and reluctant, but then he moved abruptly – he parted his protectively crossed arms and then slipped one hand under the hem of his shirt, and removed something.

A folder, Lenalee noted curiously. Yuu had taken a folder from somewhere.

Yuu glanced at her, and she moved closer, keeping her eyes on Tariq, who made no moves one way or another. Apparently satisfied, Yuu let his gaze drop to the folder and opened it slightly, reached in, and pulled something out.

Lenalee had only ever seen one picture of Alma, but she thought she recognized him.

Yuu’s gaze lingered on the picture, pain flitting, unfettered and unhidden, behind his eyes, and for just a moment, his hand shook, and then tightened over it, crinkling it slightly. Then his gaze hardened slightly, and he looked up to glare at Tariq and held the picture out.

Uncertainty and curiosity mixing on his face, Tariq reached out to take the picture, and his eyes took it in swiftly. He looked back up at Yuu, brow furrowed, and opened his mouth. Lenalee cut across him.

“Do you know who he is?” she asked directly.

Yuu glanced at her, and Lenalee met his eyes, gaze even and open. After a moment, Yuu took a short, sharp breath and stepped back, arms withdrawing to press the folder to his chest again, and Lenalee moved as well, more than pleased to block Yuu off from his… _handler._

“It is the second ubiytsa subject,” Tariq answered instantly, clearly confused. “I do not know-”

“Is he here?” Lenalee cut him off again, raising her voice a little.

Tariq shook his head. “He is at the main base, I believe, or else on a mission. I do not know.”

Lenalee hissed and glanced back at Yuu, who flinched visibly, eyes lowering to the ground as a frustrated snarl overtook his features, the threat of tears visibly dancing around the corners of his eyes and the crinkle of his nose.

She returned her gaze to Tariq, who looked more confused than ever, and held out her hand. He stared at her for a moment, puzzled, and then held out the photo, which she took.

“Thank you,” she said, with icy politeness.

A bemused look covered his expression. “You are no ordinary child,” he noted.

Lenalee hummed noncommittally. He hadn’t made any threatening moves, here, though Yuu’s wariness spoke ill of him – regardless, she classified him as an apparent non-threat, like the humans who had shown no signs of being an akuma, and turned away, to Yuu.

“Leave my family _alone,”_ she said firmly, without looking back, tension running down her spine even as she knew the veiled threat was worse than useless, looking as she did.

Then she held out the photo to Yuu, who snatched it back, returned it to the folder, and stuffed the folder back into his camouflage pajama shirt, clutching it again to his chest as if that would keep Alma, wherever he was, safe.

To her surprise, Yuu spoke, eyes still on the ground.

“Isn’t that all you want, too?”

For a moment, Lenalee thought Yuu was talking to her, but then he looked up, over her shoulder, and she looked back, too.

Tariq looked startled, and then weary.

“No ordinary children,” he said again, and then, vehement and worn, “Go home. Do not return.”

Yuu scowled for a moment, turned around, and stormed off.

Though Lenalee did not understand all of what had just happened, she understood enough, and she cast a glare of her own back to Tariq.

Perhaps he wasn’t evil. Perhaps he had his reasons.

But he still _hurt Yuu._

She didn’t say anything, though, and instead hurried off after Yuu. They still needed to get home, after all.

* * *

“When we get home,” Bucky said, “we’re going to talk about this slipping-away thing you keep doing.”

Yuu scowled at him defensively, hugging the folder against his chest even tighter, but Lenalee shifted uncomfortably and peeked around him, biting her lip.

Melinda was locked in a fistfight with Ward; after a moment of observation, Lenalee was able to locate her gun – probably her gun – halfway across the room. Steve was facing Hive, shield clutched in his bleeding hand; the glove and some of his skin was worn away, as was some of the skin of his face. Lenalee flinched, one hand making a false start up to her own cheek.

There were several HYDRA agents slumped around on the ground, obviously unconscious or otherwise, but not as many as had been there when they left. Lenalee suspected that they had fled, as many likely did when faced with the Avengers, even just a relatively small number of them. There were no more who were conscious, which explained why Bucky had gone to look for them.

“Look,” Bucky continued, crouching down slightly and drawing Lenalee’s attention back to him. “Steve’s having trouble, so I need to help keep Hive down. Yuu, I need you to take this to that computer over there and plug it in. Lenalee- Stay with him.”

“What will it do?” Lenalee asked instantly, rocking forward briefly onto the balls of her feet, all of her focus abruptly returned to Bucky.

“It’ll give Daisy a way in so she can shut the missile down,” Bucky said grimly, holding out a flash drive to Yuu. “Can you do that?”

Yuu contemplated the flash drive for a moment, and then, keeping one hand over his chest, reached, took it, and nodded.

“I’ll stay with him,” Lenalee promised, concerned gaze lingering on her friend. Bucky smiled briefly.

“Thank you, Lenalee. Be careful.”

Yuu swallowed, and then lifted his gaze to meet Bucky’s, fingers wrapped around the flash drive.

“Don’t be stupid, stupid bear,” he said. Bucky smirked.

“When am I ever stupid?” he teased gently, and then turned and made his silent way to Steve’s side, as if that was where he belonged. Lenalee thought he felt like he did, too, and almost smiled.

Then she looked at Yuu, whose gaze had cleared noticeably, his head up to scan the area warily. He looked at her and jerked his head to indicate a terminal across the room.

“It’s all the way over there,” he muttered. “Stupid bear.”

Bucky inserted himself into the fight, shoving Hive off-kilter so Steve could bean the Inhuman across the face, and then Bucky kneed him in the stomach and fired a shot into his shoulder. A moment later, Hive threw his hand out, shoving Steve backwards several paces, and straightened, already healing, as fast as Yuu.

A few yards away, Ward aimed a kick at Melinda’s knee, and Melinda avoided it and swung an elbow at the side of his head, forcing him to duck even as he tried again to trip her, connecting this time in a way that made her grimace.

Lenalee closed her eyes, took a breath, and focused. Then she opened them and met Yuu’s eyes. “We’ll make it.”

He nodded absently, and then she saw him glance around, mapping a path around the edge of the fights and the limp bodies, where they were least likely to be in the way or in stupid danger. After a brief pause, he set off, at a quick pace that wasn’t fast enough to quite draw the eye. She went a little faster, just ahead of him to look around, feeling anxious and restless.

“You can’t keep her from me for long,” Ward hissed to Melinda.

“It’s cute,” Melinda answered, “that you think she’ll ever want anything to do with you.”

“She’ll change her mind.”

Lenalee sped up.

“There’s only half an hour left,” Hive said, cool as a cucumber despite the slight pant of his breath. “If you continue to stall, it will only help my cause.”

“How sure are you about that?” Steve asked, with just the wrong twist of amusement and satisfaction. Lenalee glanced back to Yuu, now lagging back slightly, still maintaining his earlier pace and keeping half an eye on Bucky’s fight.

“…Why wouldn’t I be?” Now Hive sounded almost wary, and ever so slightly puzzled.

Melinda grunted, and Lenalee gasped sharply and turned. Ward had gotten a hit in, a hard one, and Melinda was just barely keeping from falling, one hand clutching at her chest, face twisted in a grimace of pain.

Ward himself had turned the opposite way, toward her and Yuu, eyes wide.

“The kids are doing something!” he said suddenly, voice cracking out like a whip, and Lenalee flinched, turning to Yuu, whose face twisted into a scowl.

Yuu clenched his fist and broke into a run, as fast as he could go on two short legs, and Lenalee wavered, torn between going forward to the terminal or back to Yuu.

Bucky hissed a curse, and then, abruptly and for no reason, Yuu collapsed, a stifled scream trying to rise from his throat. Lenalee’s eyes widened and darted briefly back to Ward, and the remote that had appeared in his hand. She stepped forward; this settled it. She had to go back for Yuu.

They needed to help. They _needed_ to win.

It wasn’t _their_ lives at stake right now.

_“Don’t you dare.”_

It was a monstrous voice, deep and gravelly to the point of hoarseness, and Lenalee’s gaze moved again, fear rising into her throat.

Hive had shoved Steve away, into Bucky, and both of them had stumbled back for a crucial moment. Hive stepped forward, he raised a hand-

**No.**

Lenalee jolted forward, eyes tracking that hand, and the swarm of tiny bugs that flew from it, heading for- Yuu. Hive was going for Yuu, and Lenalee…

Lenalee wouldn’t let him.

Lenalee _would not_ let him.

Lenalee _could not_ let him.

Her bare feet slapped against the ground for one, two, three steps, and then on the fourth step, she pushed off, jumping into the air as she remembered doing so many times before. Her ankles burned, and she pushed herself into a flip for momentum, forgetting for a moment that, that-

“Innocence! _Activate!”_

Her ankles exploded in pain, and she felt the blood pulling itself from her veins and making her woozy – but by the time she’d finished her flip, she could feel the blood wrapping itself around her ankles and feet, half-crystallized, and it was enough, just enough.

Through hazy vision, she saw the swarm heading for Yuu, still prone on the ground, and moved her body through the motions, kicking out even as the Innocence continued to form around her feet.

_“Waltz!”_

A floosh of air, not her old tornado but a powerful wind, rushed out, sweeping up the cloud of parasites and sending them crashing against the wall, squishing them into a splatter of mess.

And it was good and _thank God, her family was safe_ but _oh,_ it burned. It hurt.

Lenalee tried to take a breath, failed, and tumbled out of the air to fall not far from Yuu, colliding against the wall and then onto the ground.

* * *

_“Lenalee!”_

It took Yuu a moment to realize that the call hadn’t been his; he forced himself up onto his hands and knees, wide eyes tracking Lenalee’s graceless arc to its conclusion, where she lay on the ground, not moving.

He looked up, instinctively seeking guidance he knew wasn’t coming and that he didn’t need, and found Ward and Melinda’s fight halted completely, both of them frozen and fixed on Lenalee.

It had been Ward, Yuu realized abruptly, who had called out. Melinda, on the other hand, was already moving.

Her reaction let Yuu’s muscles loosen up as well. He forced himself to unfreeze and, taking a moment to make sure Melinda was headed for Lenalee – she was, of course – he gritted his teeth and kept going.

“Fucking _try_ that again!” Bucky snarled, which was how Yuu knew Hive had made a move toward him. He didn’t look back.

The terminal was only a few yards away, and while he’d been counting on Lenalee – who’d been around tech people and their gear for longer – he wasn’t _completely_ faithless in his ability to find the right port.

Grunts, and slams and thuds- Yuu ignored them determinedly.

“Not _one_ step closer.” Melinda, sounding more dangerous than he’d ever heard her, and more frightened, too, a catch in the undertone of her voice that was only just barely audible.

“Steve, where’s the damn…?”

“In the Quinjet, we couldn’t – Buck, knock him out!”

Yuu reached the terminal and searched the front frantically. Most of the holes were round, some of the square ones too big, some too strangely shaped-

There. He forcibly unballed his fist enough to hold the flash drive better, and then gingerly pushed at it, hissing when it wouldn’t go in. “Come on, come on,” he muttered, frustrated and anxious. He took it back out and scowled at the inside of the plug, then glanced at the port he’d been trying to use- And he huffed, flipped the drive, and jabbed it in impatiently.

It went in, and he felt himself relax almost entirely, a quiet sigh escaping his mouth.

And he turned around.

Ward was gone, was the first thing he noticed – nowhere in sight. Hive wasn’t, but his struggles were growing weaker by the moment, Bucky’s metal arm pressed against his throat while the two Super Soldiers together tried to hold him down.

And there was Melinda, sitting against the wall, fingers at Lenalee’s wrist, talking too quietly for Yuu to hear from here. Lenalee’s eyes were only half open, head lolling against Melinda’s chest. Yuu didn’t think she was listening.

His moment of allowance passed, and he pushed himself back up and stumbled forward, stopping at Steve, because Bucky was busy. Steve, still bleeding, looking worn and tired, looked down as Yuu grabbed at his arm, cocking his head expectantly.

“Lenalee,” he said urgently, jerking his head toward her, and that was enough.

Steve followed his gaze, and his blue eyes darkened, and he lifted one hand to rub Yuu’s head reassuringly even as he lifted a hand to his comm unit.

“Hive’s down,” was the first thing he reported, and Yuu nearly hissed at him, but Steve’s eyes warmed with faint amusement even as he continued, voice darkening in a way that contrasted sharply with his expression, “We need medical as soon as possible, though – if they can’t meet us, we need them ready when we get there.”

Yuu let out a short sigh of relief, relaxing and letting his hands drop. Absently, he reached for the front of his pajamas, and felt the folder still there, present and secure.

“None of _us_ need it urgently,” Steve corrected whoever was on the other line, voice dropping into a darker tone still. “It’s Lenalee. She’s activated.”

Yuu let his knees fold, dropping against the ground, feeling his palms press against the stone. Nearby, Hive finally stopped struggling, and, cautiously, Bucky let up, and when Hive didn’t move, sighed and sat back and looked at Yuu.

“It’s okay, Yuu,” Bucky said, without looking at him, sounding as exhausted as Yuu felt. “We’re going home.”

Finally.


	65. Chapter 65

“Never going to understand the depths HYDRA will sink to,” Tony scowled, tapping something sharply into his pad. Hints of exhaustion lined his face, but his eyes were focused and intent even as he rambled to Yuu, who didn’t reply. “Kidnapping, sure, standard terrorism. Torture, tasteless but expected. Human experimentation, well, they have a history, just can’t seem to help themselves. All three to the same child? We’re gonna need some superhuman-grade straightjackets.” He tapped one more time on the pad, sharp and brisk, and then gave Yuu a terse smile. “Done.”

Yuu lifted his head to meet Tony’s eyes, processed what he’d said, and then nodded. He looked back down, reached over, and pried the now-deactivated bracelet off easily. The skin underneath wasn’t even red anymore; the burns had long since healed.

“Thanks,” he muttered, almost too quiet to hear. He gazed at the bracelet for a moment, expressionless, and then ‘che’d and tossed it aside. It hit the wall and bounced off.

All of the Avengers were in the Quinjet cabin now. Most of them were silent, tired or worried. Tony’s rambling, now about the various reasons Ward should be kept in a dark room for the rest of his life, was the loudest sound, but Vision and Wanda were speaking quietly in their corner, and Steve was talking to Bucky, who was, like Yuu, quiet, but visibly calming down as his friend spoke.

Melinda, sitting with Lenalee tucked against her chest and one hand rubbing absently at the now-open stigmata of one ankle, was as silent and as still as a stone statue. So far, she’d only moved to periodically check Lenalee’s pulse, the worried furrow of her brow the sole indication of her feelings.

Silently, Yuu slid off his seat and carefully crossed the cabin to half-lie beside her, sideways in the seat. Neither of them spoke, but Yuu stayed in place, arms wrapped around his chest, head leaning on the wall and eyes on Lenalee.

They were almost halfway there when Steve fell silent, and almost immediately afterward, Bucky nodded to his friend and then crossed the cabin to sit by Yuu. Yuu looked up at him, letting his expression betray how tired and confused and upset he still was. Bucky’s expression softened in return, but he didn’t speak. Instead, he reached to shift Yuu onto his lap, and Yuu cooperated, moving until his cheek was pressed against Bucky’s shoulder and his hands buried in his jacket. Yuu’s breath hitched, but he didn’t want to cry. He didn’t.

A moment later, Steve moved beside them as well, and Yuu felt his hand, large and unusually warm, press against his shoulder, rubbing gently.

“I’m glad you’re all okay,” Steve said quietly, earnestly sincere.

Yuu held a whine in his throat and pressed his cheek harder against Bucky’s shoulder, fists tightening as his eyes stung and he tried desperately not to cry.

It didn’t _feel_ like they were okay.

* * *

“They’re here,” Fury said at last, the instant he hung up his phone.

Allen sat up straight, suddenly wide awake, eyes huge. Link, by contrast, almost crumpled, eyes closing and head dropping as if his relief had exhausted him, hands pressing against the ground.

Lavi himself smiled nervously, half-squirming in place, caught between his worry for his friends and his guilt.

It had been his fault, after all, that they’d been captured in the first place.

(Why, damn it, why had he frozen up like that?)

“Are they okay?” Link asked urgently, laser-focused as always, pleading eyes on Fury.

“Rogers said that Yuu’s fine, just damn shaken up,” Fury relayed, frowning. “But Lenalee’s out – shit happened and she activated.” Irritation appeared in his eyes, which was confusing to Lavi, but after a moment, Fury exhaled and shook his head once, roughly. “She’ll probably be fine too, no way any of your damned parents’ll settle for less.”

“Can we go see them?” Lavi pushed, kicking his feet anxiously. “I mean, at least Yuu?”

“I don’ wanna sleep ‘til then,” Allen added, giving Fury a sad look with frightened eyes. Lavi might have laughed if the general situation had been less serious.

Fury gave him a look that had too much pity to pass as unimpressed, and Allen’s look dropped away until it was completely genuine, shrinking slightly in place. Fury sighed and nodded, reaching down to pick Allen up and place him on his hip. Lavi and Link hustled on either side of him, taking special care not to trip him up and slow them down.

Lavi kept his eyes on the ground, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. He was worried. Things happened to people when they were in enemies’ hands.

He fidgeted.

They met with Steve, Bucky, Yuu, and Lenalee in the infirmary; they surged in as a flood, with only Melinda, Simmons, and a few doctors they weren’t familiar with otherwise occupying the room.

Lenalee was on a bed, by all appearances asleep. Simmons fussed over her, looking anxious, while Melinda sat rigidly beside her, gaze fixed on an indeterminate point. But it looked like the worst was over, and Simmons was just being fretful now. She shot them a tentative, nervous smile as they entered.

Yuu was sitting on a bed beside her, apparently already done, but looking unhappy and listless. Lavi’s heart wrenched anxiously, and he took a step forward, but Allen beat him.

“Yuu!” Allen called out, half-reaching for him, still suspended though he was.

Yuu looked up, and Lavi glanced anxiously at Link, who was hesitating noticeably, worried gaze flicking between the two other children.

But Yuu relaxed visibly, letting out something like a sigh, and nodded once. Allen smiled warmly, and then looked at Lenalee, the smile dissolving into a worried frown. Lavi followed his gaze and felt his stomach turn.

She didn’t look _hurt,_ exactly, but she was shivering and pale, and he could see the bangles of her Innocence around her tiny ankles.

Lavi had read enough of the Science Department’s old reports to know just how much stress an Innocence could and _did_ place on a human body.

“How is she?” Fury asked Simmons directly, placing Allen down. Allen wavered for a moment, but eventually moved to sit beside Yuu and give him a questioning look, and this time, Yuu shook his head. Allen frowned, but didn’t move away, transferring his gaze back to Lenalee.

Melinda’s lips thinned, and Simmons bit her lip, then rose and explained,

“She lost some blood, Lord knows how, and she’s showing signs of severe exhaustion. But she _should_ wake up on her own, maybe even within a few hours.” She offered a small, tentative smile. “She’ll be fine.”

Lavi supposed that it made sense that the amount of blood required for crystal activation would be too much for a four-year-old. He edged closer and gave Lenalee a worried look, and Link shuffled uncomfortably and then went to join Allen, sitting on the opposite side from Yuu.

Beside Yuu, Link glanced at the younger boy anxiously, but Yuu didn’t seem to be harboring any hidden resentment toward him – not that he normally put much effort into hiding such things.

Instead, Yuu looked… preoccupied. And exhausted, more so than Link would have expected. Link bit the inside of his cheek, brow creasing into a frown, and then half-turned toward him and said quietly,

“I’m glad you and Lenalee are okay.” He paused, frowning at the tightness of his voice, and then continued, “I’m sorry for…” He swallowed. “I didn’t mean to make things worse.”

Yuu lifted his head to look at him, frowning slightly, and shrugged. In a voice bordering on hoarse, he replied, “Doesn’t matter.”

On Yuu’s other side, Allen reached out and hugged Yuu one-armed, light but honest. Yuu made a halfhearted effort to tug away, but no more than that.

“Later?” Allen asked quietly, head tilted up so his silver eyes met Yuu’s, and without even pausing to think, Yuu nodded.

So Link was right. Something _was_ wrong.

With that, Fury, Steve, and Bucky seemed to finish, and Fury looked over and clapped twice, briskly. Almost automatically, Yuu, Allen, Link, and Lavi all looked at him.

“It’s too late for this bullshit,” Fury told them firmly, voice raised slightly. “You’ve seen your friends, you’re all fucking fine, so it’s time to get your asses to bed so you _and your parents_ can deal with this tomorrow.”

Steve glanced sideways at Fury, lips twitching into a tired smile, and Fury spared him a warning scowl before returning his attention to the kids.

“Understood?” Fury prompted, and Link made a vague assenting noise supported by the others. Fury scowled and repeated, “Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Link offered, a small, amused smile pulling at his mouth. Lavi and Allen both echoed this, with the same light ring to their tones.

“Good,” Fury hmphed, and then glanced at Steve pointedly. Steve chuckled softly and then crossed the room with Bucky beside him, while Fury left at a brisk pace.

Steve crouched down in front of them, blue eyes gentle.

“Are you three ready to go to bed?” he asked quietly.

Allen let go of Yuu but didn’t move away. He glanced at Yuu, who sighed and nodded, and then smiled faintly and nodded, too, and then looked at Link, who shrugged.

“What about Lenalee?” he asked, still upset and restless.

“Lenalee will be _fine,”_ Steve promised firmly. “Simmons is sure of it by now. Melinda just wants to stay with her tonight.”

Link hummed his understanding, not as soothed as he should have been, and Steve’s smile turned a little sadder.

“Fury’s gone to get Coulson and Tony,” he conceded after a moment. “You can wait that long, if you like.”

Barely pausing to consider, Link nodded. Steve smiled at him briefly, and then transferred his attention back to the two other boys.

“Can you handle being separated for now?” he asked. It was a fair question; Allen had long made it abundantly clear how much he preferred to stay near Yuu when he was stressed, and Yuu, in turn, only relaxed around about three people when he was upset enough.

But Allen nodded immediately, reaching out for Steve, and Yuu shrugged and nodded and looked at Bucky, who reached for his hand and guided him off the bed to a standing position.

Steve, now holding Allen, smiled wearily at Bucky.

“You alright for tonight?” he asked him.

Bucky nodded. “Just need a bit of sleep after that clusterfuck,” he muttered, not acknowledging the tension around his eyes or the too-careful grip on Yuu’s hand, or the way Yuu huddled too close to him, eyes on the floor. “We’ve got a lot to handle tomorrow.”

Steve nodded seriously, hefting Allen slightly, and Allen made a soft sound and reached to hug Steve lightly around the neck, looking twice as tired and still a little anxious.

“Then we’ll handle it tomorrow,” Steve said with certainty. He looked at Melinda, and a concerned look flickered across his eyes, but all he said was, “We’ll catch up tomorrow.”

Melinda spared him a glance and nodded, then looked back to Lenalee, with Lavi across from her, leaning on the bed with his worried gaze fixed on the younger girl.

Steve hummed discontentedly, but then sighed, and both of them turned and left. They passed Fury, Coulson, and Tony in the hall, and Allen looked over his shoulder to see Lavi dart immediately toward Tony, reaching for reassurance already.

Allen sighed, settled firmly against Steve, and said softly into his ear, “I’m glad you all okay.”

“Me too, little angel,” Steve said wearily, grip tightening slightly. “Me too.”

* * *

As Lenalee woke up, she built the world around her from what she could hear and feel. She was in the infirmary again; she could hear the whirring machinery and the faint beep of a heart monitor, and her head was aching; she’d passed out again. Where had she just been, again? She couldn’t seem to remember. Who had brought her back to the Order? Were they alright?

Her ankles stung with the familiar feel of the open-wound Innocence, the red bangles pressing into her skin, and she frowned slightly against the pillow. Something wasn’t quite right. Why didn’t this feel right?

There was a large hand holding onto hers, gentle and firm. She could ask.

“Lavi?” she murmured faintly, and opened her eyes.

“Lenalee.” The word came on a breath, relieved and strained with emotion.

_Mom!_

Lenalee’s eyes went wide as she jolted awake, snapped back to the present, and sat up too quickly. Before she even realized she was about to fall, Melinda’s hands came up to catch her, and then, before she knew it, Melinda had pulled her into a tight hug, breath coming out in something like a gasp.

“Thank God you’re awake,” Melinda murmured without letting go.

Lenalee was confused for a moment before she remembered what happened. When she did, she managed a faint smile and clung back, a single gasp of laughter escaping her, more from relief than amusement, tears stinging her eyes.

“I’m home,” she murmured against Melinda, and then, like a chant, “I’m home, I’m home, I’m home.”

She felt dizzy and lightheaded, she was sore all over, and her legs hurt, but she was home.

They stayed like that for a few moments longer, but then, reluctantly, Melinda at last let go, looking her up and down intently.

“Are you okay?” she pressed, examining her closely. “Do you hurt anywhere?”

“Mm-hm,” Lenalee nodded, but made no move to expand on this. Instead, she asked, “Is everyone okay?”

“Everyone’s fine,” Melinda told her firmly. “Barnes is completely himself, Yuu is free and unhurt, and your other friends were very worried about you, but they should all be in bed by now. They’re _fine.”_

Lenalee laughed again, happy and dizzy with tiredness, and moved to cling to Melinda again, tears starting to fall.

“I’m so glad,” she murmured, and heard Melinda sigh.

“Me too, baby girl. Now go back to sleep. If you’re okay now, we can have you checked in the morning instead.”

“Simmons again?” Lenalee asked wearily, but didn’t resist as Melinda set her back down and pulled the covers back over her.

“Simmons again,” Melinda confirmed, with an echo of amusement in her tone.

“Mm,” Lenalee hummed, and then, “Okay.”

“Okay,” Melinda confirmed firmly, and a moment later, Lenalee fell asleep again.


	66. Chapter 66

The next morning, Yuu blinked his eyes open early in the morning. It was still half-dark in the room – when he looked over, the sun was only just starting to rise, the sky a dark blue that was still in the process of lightening.

Bucky, beside him, was still asleep, motionless and relaxed. Occasionally his face would twitch in dreams – good or bad, Yuu had no way of knowing. Bucky didn’t usually thrash, even during nightmares.

Yuu’s fingers tightened in the covers, taking in the warmth around him.

Bucky, he realized after a moment, probably wouldn’t be up for another hour or so. He pushed himself up slightly, a frown starting to dim his eyes. For a few moments, he gazed at Bucky silently.

He was glad that Bucky was alright.

Without a word, he wriggled off the bed and slid down onto the ground, and reached under the bed to pick up the folder he’d stolen from HYDRA.

“I’ll tell you,” he promised the floor, voice slightly raspy from sleep. “Soon.”

Then he looked up to the nearest camera, in the upper corner of the room, and pressed a finger to his lips. FRIDAY didn’t usually tell anyone when they were up and around at inappropriate times, but he’d much rather be safe than sorry at the moment.

There was no response, not that he’d been expecting one. Instead, he tucked the folder against his chest and pushed the door open, shutting it behind him as quietly as possible.

The way the sleeping area of the compound was arranged was a little utilitarian; it reminded Yuu somewhat of the finders’ quarters at HQ, only the rooms were, unsurprisingly, much nicer.

There was one main hallway, and across that main hall, there were three more cutting across it. Down each of those halls were two rooms on either side, for a total of four rooms on each branch, eight in each crosshall, and twenty-four on the floor.

Tony was a little overenthusiastic sometimes.

 _Or always,_ Yuu snorted to himself, a flicker of a smile crossing his face as he turned toward Steve and Natasha’s room. It faded quickly though, solemnity swamping his mind again.

Steve and Natasha’s room was right beside his and Bucky’s. Allen still slept there, in a little bed across the room from the one his parent’s shared, but there had been talk recently about moving him into the room across the hall at some point.

Allen would probably like that, soon. He was too private to share a bedroom for long.

Distracted, Yuu faltered, startled as another thought crossed his brain.

Why was he still sharing a bed with Bucky?

He scowled and shook his head roughly, dismissing the thought. _Not now. Later._

Tony and Pepper shared a room in the opposite hall, with Lavi in the room across from them. Lenalee, of course, still slept in SHIELD’s headquarters, in a room with Melinda. Yuu had been there a few times, but not often. They spent most of the time in the senior agents’ common area, over there.

“Stop it,” he muttered, smacking his head in frustration. He took a deep breath with restricted lungs, let it out, and looked up at the door. Then he reach for the doorknob and opened it as carefully as he could.

It didn’t squeak; it was too new and too well taken care of for that. Natasha stirred anyway, seeming to notice _something_ – Yuu didn’t know what. It didn’t really matter.

He glanced over left, and there was Allen, just a tuft of white hair visible over the plain covers. He left the door open and pattered over, and then bent down and shook Allen lightly.

Allen wriggled, and his head popped out from under the covers, but he didn’t wake up.

Yuu almost hissed at him, but that would probably wake _Steve_ up, with his sensitive hearing. Instead, he just shook him again, harder.

Finally, Allen twitched and frowned and opened his eyes, bleary with tiredness and gleaming slightly in the early morning light. They sharpened slightly when he took in Yuu, and Yuu jerked his head toward the door, counting on Allen to understand.

He did, of course. Allen nudged off the covers and pushed carefully off the bed. He cast his parents a worried look, and then hurried toward the open door.

Yuu, better able to access the doorknob, shut the door behind them, slow and cautious. With a door between them and anyone who might have heard them, he spoke to Allen, without looking away from the knob.

“I found Alma,” he said. The words felt thick in his mouth.

He could almost feel Allen’s stunned expression, even without looking. He bit his cheek until he tasted blood, and then felt Allen’s hand on his elbow, light and worried.

“Where d’you wanna go?” Allen asked quietly, steadfast and confident.

Yuu thought about it for half a second, and then shrugged.

“Living room,” he muttered, and pulled his elbow out of Allen’s grip and led the way.

Neither of them spoke during the walk to the living room, Allen still holding Yuu’s hand lightly. Out of the corner of his eye, Yuu could see Allen shooting curious glances at the folder he still clutched to his chest, but he didn’t ask just yet. Damn sprout was too perceptive for his own good.

It was useful, Yuu hated to admit, when Yuu didn’t feel like talking.

When they got there, Yuu planted himself on one end of one of the couches, and Allen sat beside him, a slight weight against his side, leaning over.

Finally, _finally,_ Yuu took the folder away from his chest, set it in front of him, half across his lap, and opened it.

He heard Allen take in a sharp breath beside him – after so long in Yuu’s memories, it was probably just as easy for Allen to recognize Alma as it had been for Yuu. Yuu’s eyes darkened slightly, but he glanced at Allen anyway.

“Ready?” Allen asked him quietly, eyes studying his as if they could bare his soul then and there.

“Course,” Yuu muttered, an irate edge to his voice, and he looked back down before the conversation could go any further.

The folder was in English, for the most part – the codes were in Russian, like Yuu’s and Bucky’s had been, which Yuu could read by sight but couldn’t really understand. It was a lucky break, he supposed reluctantly. Maybe an allowance for the agents in the area-

He shook his head sharply again, frustrated with himself already, and felt Allen’s shoulder press against his.

They read. It was quiet, just the two of them in the rapidly rising light. Occasionally, one of them would speak – it was a slight jolt the first few times, but after that, it was almost a relief, to hear a voice and break from the clinical text for a moment.

“He’s bein’ supervis’d,” Allen murmured at one point, leaning forward slightly. “He isn’ alone.”

“Oh,” he said at another, when they reached the point where it talked about conditioning and training. The subject was doing well, the text said, and Yuu had to swallow as he wondered what that meant.

“Gender confusion,” Yuu said quietly later on, fingers tightening enough to crinkle the folder again. “He still remembers better than I do.”

“They don’ know about his pas’ life,” Allen pointed out eventually, head tilting against Yuu’s shoulder in reassurance. “They would’f mentioned it.”

“Three,” Yuu rasped at last, and Allen reached up and squeezed his arm.

Three times HYDRA had made Alma kill – supervised, evaluated, as if passing a test. As if training him to- Yuu remembered droplets of blood falling from Alma’s fingers and tried to breathe.

“He isn’ himself,” Allen reminded him softly. “Bucky wasn’.” And Alma was being put through the same conditioning as Bucky had been, he didn’t say.

Yuu hated it, hated himself for it, but he wasn’t so sure about that.

Alma had once killed everyone they knew in a single night. They’d been people who did horrible things – they may have even deserved it – Yuu had even wanted to do the same, that night and for years afterward.

He wondered, sometimes, how much of that was Alma, and how much was just how awful the world had been to him.

“Yuu?” Allen asked, worried.

“Not now,” Yuu snapped, sharper than he’d meant, and turned the page.

The file was arranged in a similar way to the exorcist files the Order had kept. Maybe in a slightly different order, but basically the same.

It started with basic stats. Age, height, weight. No name. Identifying marks – the mark across his nose and the tattoo on his shoulder. Then a skillset – basic understanding of weapons, a few languages – not the same ones Yuu had been learning, he thought. And then reports, longer paragraphs with more detail.

A psych eval. Erratic behavior, rapid learning, accelerated development even relative to the other subjects – ‘save subject eight.’ That was Yuu himself. Yuu was grateful, almost, that they had no idea about where they’d really come from.

Gender confusion, the file went on to note – a persistent tendency to refer to himself with female pronouns in any language, rapidly being conditioned out of him along with all other abnormal behaviors.

‘Subject two is close to conforming to standards now,’ the file reported. ‘Once the conditioning has properly taken, it will be superior to all other ubiytsa subjects by far.’

Yuu fumed silently.

The last was a set of mission reports – only three, so Yuu supposed, resentfully, that only the ones where Alma had a direct hand were placed here. Each one went into detail about Alma’s performance and his reaction to each death at his own hands.

At the first, he’d been reluctant and resistant. He’d been warned and sent back out.

At the second, he’d acted confused and rebellious. He’d been disciplined again and reconditioned.

By the third, it was just a slight hesitation.

Finally, Yuu pushed the folder away, off his lap and across Allen’s until it landed awkwardly on the opposite couch cushion and then slid off to flop onto the floor. He didn’t care; he hunched over and rubbed his arms fervently, wishing away the tightness in his chest that made his breath come in short gasps.

It was overwhelming. He should have been glad, so glad, that Alma was alive, but he couldn’t make himself be. He couldn’t stop thinking about Alma in isolation, having his emotions trained away, forced to be a weapon no matter what he wanted. Thought about Alma being snatched away from death yet again, just to be shoved into a brand new form of hell.

Some days, Yuu could understand all too clearly what had driven Alma, that day in Lab Six.

Yuu felt Allen’s hand on his arm and shrugged it off roughly, forcing down the tears trying to well in his eyes.

“Yuu,” Allen started, too gently.

“Fuck off,” Yuu snarled at him, shoving at his shoulder harshly. Suddenly every touch felt like too much. Even his clothing was rubbing against his skin uncomfortably. “I don’t- I- _Fuck off!”_

“No,” Allen refused, voice sharpening slightly. Yuu shuddered, every muscle taut with fury, glaring at Allen. Allen continued anyway, fearless and stern. “Yuu, this isn’ forever. We can fix this.”

“Says you!” Yuu snapped, voice rising. He twisted to face Allen better and tried to shove him again, but Allen shifted just out of reach, not taking his eyes off Yuu. “You can’t-” He ground his teeth, frustrated. “This isn’t- _You don’t know him!”_

That wasn’t what he meant, damn it-

“I know,” Allen replied, voice edged with impatience as he started to glare back, meeting Yuu stroke for stroke. “I know I don’. I don’ care. I’m helping.”

Yuu threw himself off the couch and rounded on Allen, anger intensifying until the clench of his hand around his wrist hurt. “I don’t need your help!” he hissed. He was shaking again. His vision was blurring and his cheeks felt wet. “You can’t help! Nothing can- this isn’t just-” His voice broke.

Allen stood up to meet him, comically short and chubby, scowling up at him. “You can’ stop me,” he said defiantly. “And you’re no’ thinking, Yuu! You can’ do this! _You aren’ alone!”_

Yuu hissed and stepped toward Allen, and Allen stepped back without breaking his gaze.

“Stop bein’ stupid!” Allen snapped at him, voice rising to match Yuu’s. “You have fweinds, you have family, and they’re as stubborn an’ stupid as you are, and you’re _never gettin’ rid of ‘em!_ An’ if you ask, they’ll help Alma, too!”

“They _can’t!”_ Yuu screamed, far past caring if he woke anyone up.

“We _will!”_ Allen shouted back.

It was so stupid and Yuu couldn’t explain and he couldn’t- His rage boiled over and out and he was left feeling empty and drained and then he was crying and his knees gave way and he sat down hard, curling until his face was in his knees and he was gasping again.

“Allen,” FRIDAY asked, with a hint of feedback in the background of her voice, “should I wake-”

Above Yuu, Allen sighed, and then knelt in front of Yuu. Yuu didn’t look at him; his whole body was shaking and his face was wet and he was almost keening with the force of it.

“No, FRIDAY,” Allen said softly, gentle again as if he hadn’t just been shouting. “We’re okay.”

For a few minutes, Yuu couldn’t stop the tears long enough to speak. Eventually, though, he choked out, low and strained, “I didn’t mean-”

“It’s okay,” Allen interrupted quietly, and Yuu sucked in a breath and shivered for a few more moments, small sounds tearing from his chest unaided.

“I can’t leave Alma there,” was the next thing Yuu said.

“I know,” Allen reassured him. “We won’.”

“You sound so stupid,” Yuu muttered, reaching up to scrub at his eyes angrily. “With your stupid baby voice.”

“Shut up, idiot Yuu,” Allen said, almost gratingly fond. “I bet you weren’ any better.”

A few more moments passed.

“He’ll hate this,” Yuu whispered, shivering convulsively but no longer crying. “This was-” He stopped and swallowed.

Now Allen sounded sad. “I know. We’ll help him.”

“How?” Yuu tried to demand, but his voice broke again and he couldn’t look at Allen.

“I don’t know,” Allen admitted, and Yuu almost lashed out again. He felt Allen’s arm around his shoulders and flinched, but didn’t shove it off this time. “But I’ll do anything to help. You know I will.”

Yuu sighed, and whatever fight had been left in him vanished. Now he just felt exhausted, wrung out and left to dry.

“Yeah,” he said softly.

* * *

“Bucky’s awake,” FRIDAY said after a while, voice pitched low. “He was quite alarmed to find Yuu gone. I’ve informed him of your current location and your current states. Would you like me to tell him anything else?”

Yuu huffed quietly, rubbed at his eyes again, and sat up at last. Without looking up, he shook his head.

“No thanks, FRIDAY,” Allen reconfirmed, lifting his eyes to the camera and giving it a tired smile. And then, “Are you okay? After las’ night?”

“Tony’s promised me a security upgrade,” FRIDAY replied, feedback peeking through her tone again. “However, your wellbeing is of a higher priority. I can wait.” A moment of hesitation, and then she added, “I’m very glad you’re all alright.”

“Me too,” Allen smiled, and then both he and Yuu looked toward the door as footsteps approached.

A moment later, it very nearly slammed open to admit a near-frantic super soldier. Bucky left the door wide open behind him and made a beeline for the two of them, crouching down and reaching for Yuu to tilt his head back and look him in the eye.

“Yuu, what happened?” Bucky asked immediately, gaze flicking only once from Yuu’s eyes to give Allen an equally questioning look before returning to Yuu’s. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt, did we not catch something?”

“He’s no’ hurt,” Allen assured him earnestly, squeezing Yuu once before he let go and sat back to look up at Bucky. “He found Alma.”

Yuu felt Bucky go still beside him, his hand firm on Yuu’s arm. After a few moments, Bucky asked cautiously, “The… other boy like you? From before?”

Yuu nodded without looking at Bucky, stomach churning.

A few more seconds passed, and then Bucky asked, with a grim voice like he already knew, “Where is he?”

“He’s with HYDRA,” Yuu whispered hoarsely. “Like I was.”

Bucky took a breath and pulled Yuu a little closer, a gesture of comfort. “I’m sorry,” he said, voice rough and dense with feeling. “You said you were friends, didn’t you?”

Yuu looked up to meet Bucky’s eyes. Bucky looked worried and _worn,_ gaze searching his, and even as he opened his mouth, Yuu’s voice caught in his throat.

‘We were friends’ wasn’t enough, he thought. But ‘he was my best friend’ wasn’t right. ‘We should have died together’ wasn’t either, just an arm’s reach away.

‘I loved him,’ he almost said, but he couldn’t.

He closed his mouth, hid his face in Bucky’s side, and breathed.

“They were close,” Allen said, voice high, almost strained. He heard Allen take a breath and then continue, steadier, “It’s kinda compl’cated.”

Yuu could have laughed, dazed and exhausted and strung thin. Complicated. Something like that. Was maybe a better way to sum it up than anything Yuu would have come up with.

“An’, here…” There was a rustle, and when Yuu peeked over, Allen was gathering up the folder. Bucky’s hand had stilled. “Yuu took this. From HYDRA.”

The folder passed from Allen’s hands to Bucky’s. Yuu let it.

Bucky hissed. “I knew number two was missing,” he muttered, and then said instantly, “We can’t leave him there.”

Relief swamped over Yuu, heady enough to make him dizzy.

“Right,” Allen agreed. He could hear his smile.

At last, Yuu pushed back from Bucky and looked up at him again, now searching Bucky’s eyes the way Bucky had searched his earlier. Bucky cocked one eyebrow, worried and worn and a little stressed all at once.

“We’re not going to leave him there?” Yuu asked eventually, when he found words again.

“Of course not,” Bucky replied instantly. “What they’re doing is- horrible. I wouldn’t leave anyone there if it could be helped, and we certainly won’t leave a friend of yours.” He made a disgusted noise. “What they did to me was bad enough – to experiment on a child is unthinkable. Bastards.”

The venom in his voice, though Yuu didn’t know it, wasn’t just for HYDRA.

Yuu exhaled, deflating with relief again, fingers still lightly twisted in Bucky’s shirt.

“I loved him,” he said, and suddenly it was easy.

Bucky was silent for a few moments more, and his hand tightened on Yuu’s back. When he spoke again, his voice was noticeably rougher.

“We’ll save him.”


	67. Chapter 67

Lenalee tentatively tested her feet against the ground, and then smiled and pushed herself up. She looked up expectantly at Melinda, who was already watching her, intent and serious.

“Everything feel fine, baby girl?” she asked, lightly holding onto Lenalee’s hand.

Lenalee bobbed her head. “Yeah!” she assured her. Her ankles stung, but that was normal for an active crystal Innocence. Her feet were still bare, the floor cold against the soles, but she’d get her shoes back soon; she just had one thing to do first.

She smiled and bounced in place a little, eyes sparkling.

Melinda raised an eyebrow at her, the corner of her lips twitching up, and then tugged gently, leading her out. “Now, remember, this is only for a few minutes,” she cautioned, pushing the door open. “Simmons wants you to go back to bed soon; she’s still worried about overexertion.”

Lenalee nodded impatiently, and might have responded if they hadn’t reached the others at that point.

Allen was the first to see her, and he hopped up with a beaming smile. Then Lavi, twisting around with widening eyes, and Yuu, looking far more settled than he had earlier and somewhat relieved as well. Bucky greeted the two of them with a warm look, and Link was last, turning on her with wide eyes and a worried look. She tilted her head slightly and smiled, a small, pleased twist of her lips.

Lavi darted over and hugged her quickly, and then stepped back and asked quickly, “Are you okay? Did activating hurt? You can walk fine, can’t you? What happened while you were there?” His eyes flicked up to meet hers, round and anxious. “I’m really sorry I froze up, Lena-”

Lenalee let go of Melinda and waved her hands to cut him off, holding back a laugh and a few happy tears. “I’m fine, Lavi,” she assured him. “I can walk fine, and Ward just wanted to talk to me – I didn’t get hurt at all until Hive.” She stepped forward to hug him back, just as quick and almost as tight. “And it wasn’t your fault. We didn’t really stand a chance, anyway, once we left the room.”

A moment after she said that, her eyes quickly darted over to Bucky, who was scowling to one side, in a move eerily reminiscent of Yuu.

“What did he say to you, anyway?” Yuu asked, claiming her attention as he moved to stand by Lavi with his arms crossed and expression disapproving. You wouldn’t have known that he was shaking with distress just the day before, she thought. “You gave him a _look_ when we saw him.”

Lenalee considered for a few long moments. “I threw a cupcake at his face,” was what she eventually offered, giving her mother a half-glance up. Sure enough, Melinda wasn’t even bothering to hide her smirk.

“Good girl,” she said, a lilt of amusement in her voice, and Lenalee shot her a quick grin.

Yuu was trying to look unimpressed, but his mouth twitched briefly, too.

“It’s good to see you up again, Lenalee,” Bucky told her with a short nod and a friendly half-smile. She beamed up at him.

“Thanks!” she said happily, and then whirled on her mother, eyes bright. “Can I try now?”

Concern and something like wariness flitted behind Melinda’s eyes, but Lenalee kept their gazes locked, looking up at her expectantly. It was a foregone conclusion, of course, since Simmons had cleared it and Melinda had already promised-

Allen slid in beside Lenalee and smiled at her, nudging her lightly with his good arm so that she broke her gaze and looked at him.

“It’ll be nice, won’ it?” he asked her with an encouraging smile. “It’s been a long time.”

Lenalee did so love Allen; she was hard-pressed not to giggle. She nodded.

Sure enough, Melinda sighed, shook her head slightly, and almost smiled. “Of course, Lenalee,” she conceded. “I did promise, after all.”

Lenalee beamed up at her. “Thank you, Mommy!”

All of them went outside for the occasion; Allen and Link flanked her on either side, Link visibly trying not to worry at her and Allen smiling to himself, while Lavi and Yuu dropped back a little and Melinda and Bucky led the way.

Lenalee didn’t bother hiding the broad smile that had broken out across her face, and she was all but dancing from foot to foot impatiently. Allen gave her a bright smile and she giggled with poorly restrained excitement, and on her other side, Link was smiling too, softly.

She whipped back around, looking up at Melinda, who wasn’t smiling quite as unrestrainedly as Lenalee was, but her eyes were warm anyway, watching Lenalee squirm.

“She looks like she’s about to start singing,” Bucky chuckled quietly.

Lenalee had considered it, actually.

Finally, they were outside, and she looked back to Melinda. Melinda smiled and let go of her hand, and Lenalee beamed until her cheeks hurt, turned around, and darted away.

There was no one for miles except SHIELD agents and her friends – she could do as she liked.

One step, then two, three, six, faster and faster, and then she leapt, and she felt her Dark Boots form around her feet, whole and solid and _perfect._ And she laughed as she took off into the air, the wind whipping through her hair and turning her cheeks and fingers red.

For a few minutes, nothing – not fear, not worry, not anger – could hold her down. She was _free._

* * *

Later on, when Lenalee had been forcibly returned to bed and Melinda had finally gone to properly debrief with Coulson, Yuu visited.

The two of them were effectively alone; she knew Bucky would be waiting outside, maybe talking to Tony or Simmons, but no one was listening, and as she looked at Yuu’s once-again-serious expression, she doubted that was a coincidence.

She sat up and folded her legs, and tilted her head slightly.

Yuu sat beside her, legs folded and half-turned toward her, so they sat at an angle to each other. He looked solemn – not quite grown, but neither as young as he should have been. What he looked, she thought, was worn, no longer fraying under pressure because he was simply too tired at the moment.

“Alma?” she asked, because she’d never known anyone else to have such a profound effect on her friend.

He nodded. “I had a folder,” he explained unprompted, shifting his gaze to the ground. “I wanted to read it with beansprout. ‘Cause-” He glanced at Lenalee, frowning.

She bobbed her head quickly. She had known Yuu the longest, but Allen and him had a different kind of connection. He scowled lightly and averted his gaze away again.

“Alma was with HYDRA like I was,” he explained tonelessly, and Lenalee hissed, though she’d guessed as much. “He’s worse off now – somewhere between me and the bear, I think. He-” Yuu took in a sharp, harsh breath, and then switched tacks. “I want to save him. And- I told the bear, too.” He glanced back over at her, meeting her eyes. “He told the other Avengers about it. I dunno about SHIELD.”

Lenalee reached for his hand and squeezed it gently. “You know they’ll try,” she encouraged quietly.

He shrugged. “It wouldn’t make any sense,” he muttered, half-hunching over, hands hooking around his ankles. “They don’t know what Alma might do.”

 _I don’t know what Alma might do,_ he didn’t say.

“They’ll try,” Lenalee repeated. “It’s important to you.” She paused, giving him room to reply. When he didn’t, she continued, worried, “How much does Bucky know? About you and Alma?”

Yuu hunched over a little more, but he didn’t break his gaze from hers.

“Not much,” he admitted. “He knows a little about the Second Exorcist Project, and he knows Alma and I were the only two subjects. He knew Alma died.”

Lenalee watched him for a long moment, and Yuu closed his eyes and let out a slow, forced breath.

“I think you should tell him,” she said.

Yuu’s eyes snapped open, wide with fear. But he didn’t look surprised.

“Why?” he half-snapped, fists clenching.

Lenalee leaned forward slightly, the palms of her hands pressing into the sheets, ignoring Yuu’s glare. She studied him, frowning, and then answered, slow and thoughtful,

“You’re weird about Alma, Yuu.” Her voice was confident and matter-of-fact, but he still twitched, scowling at her. She ignored this, too. “You don’t think when it’s about him.” She shrugged, a little self-conscious even as she was sure about her words. “I think if you told him, it would help him understand your relationship with Alma. And that’d be worth a lot, wouldn’t it?”

Yuu jerked his head away, visibly frustrated, but he didn’t say anything.

For a long while, neither of them spoke.

“I was thinking about it,” Yuu admitted at last, quiet and rough. “He…” His voice faltered. “I want to tell him, but…”

Lenalee scooted forward and gave him a quick, one-armed hug, her cheek rubbing briefly against his shoulder. “You mean the world to him,” she said softly. “If he minds, it’ll only be because it hurts.”

“…I guess.” Almost inaudible this time.

Lenalee moved back again, considering him with a concerned gaze. “You should probably do it soon,” she said. “Before anything else happens, at least.”

He nodded, looking almost numb.

“I could tell the others, if you like,” she continued. “I know you hate talking about this.”

Nod.

She sighed. “He really does mess with your head, doesn’t he?” she asked, soft and sad.

He turned his head to scowl at her, but then, finally, exhaled hard and pushed himself up to look at her better.

“Thanks, Lena.” Short and quiet, but her heart almost melted.

“Anytime, Yuu. Anything.”

* * *

Yuu felt rattled – tired and off-kilter. There had been too many explanations, too much talking about too many hard things. It had worn on him, and he wanted it to _stop._ It hurt, dammit, and he’d thought this wound had long closed.

He’d laid Alma to rest a long time ago, and he had no idea what to do with himself now that he was back.

Yuu let out a long, hard breath and let himself glance around the room, nose half-wrinkled and rubbing his fingers together restlessly.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, already changed for the night, though the sun was still up. Bucky was in the bathroom, going through his own night routine. There was the weapons cabinet, over by that door. The floor was clear of toys and crayons and anything else like that. The window cast sunlight in a patch on the floor, some of it falling over his teddy bear, there on the pillow. He reached over and buried it under, so it was hidden, and then twisted around to face the rest of the room again.

He couldn’t bring himself to smile, or frown, or anything else, really. He looked.

Lotus flowers covered everything. Some small enough to fit in Allen’s palm, several so large they’d fill Bucky’s, others of every size in between. They were varying shades of pink, from soft pastel to fuchsia. They were scattered across the ground, sitting on the dresser, on the cabinet, a few on the bed, one on the windowsill-

Did they follow him around, Yuu wondered, or were they everywhere, all the time?

Bucky opened the door, sending flowers scattering across the ground, and Yuu looked up. Bucky quirked an eyebrow at him with a half-smile of his own, which looked more than a little tired – apparently Yuu wasn’t the only one worn out by the past few days.

“Waiting up, Yuu?” he teased gently, moving to sit beside him.

“I didn’t tell you about Alma,” Yuu said abruptly, the words thick and heavy in his mouth. He fidgeted a little harder, and Bucky’s smile faded, his expression growing serious again.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he reminded Yuu, reaching over to thread fingers carefully into his hair. Yuu tipped his head slightly into the touch without looking up.

“I know,” Yuu said quietly. He swallowed. “We knew each other the first time, too.”

He looked up. All of Bucky’s attention was on him. His brow was creased, his mouth a firm slash that Yuu couldn’t read. He felt Bucky’s metal fingers carefully untangle from his hair and descend to the junction between his neck and his shoulder, squeezing slightly. It was comforting.

“Alma was a woman in that life,” Yuu continued, almost excruciatingly slow as he picked each word to piece them together into sentences. “And we were in love then.” Pause. “I don’t know if we were married.” It didn’t really matter.

Yuu stopped, and Bucky nodded, without any expression appearing on his face or letting his focus waver for a moment. Yuu rubbed his fingers together again, gaze shifting slightly to one side as he remembered.

“When I woke up…” He hesitated. “I didn’t remember anything. I don’t think Alma did, either, then. And we lived together in that lab for… months. While they tried to-”

Bucky nodded again, a darkness entering his eyes that made Yuu relax a little. Lenalee was right, of course. If Bucky got upset- it would probably just be for him.

“It wasn’t working,” Yuu explained, switching tracks abruptly. That wasn’t the point. The lab wasn’t the point. “And I was… remembering. Sort of.” He shrugged slightly, and his gaze dropped to travel across the floor. Across the flowers. “I was seeing things. I kept seeing her- everywhere. I didn’t know her name, but she’d talk to me, and then she’d be gone. I didn’t know her, but…” His gaze shifted back to Bucky’s. “I wanted to.”

A flash of first recognition, then grief, passed behind Bucky’s eyes. Yuu stopped again.

“I felt the same way when I first saw Steve again,” Bucky said quietly, almost as gentle as it was rough. “You remembered.”

Yuu nodded, and his gaze shifted to the bedsheets between them. “It got worse,” he went on, his voice almost eerily even, still soft. “And then I collapsed. I saw her and I just fell.” He shrugged, uncomfortable. “They decided I’d failed, and they had to kill me.”

Bucky’s hand tightened, startling him out of the memory. When he looked back up, Bucky’s expression had darkened further, his lips parted in a hint of a snarl.

“They had no right,” Bucky said quietly.

Yuu couldn’t bring up the emotional energy to react.

“I know,” he said.

Bucky deflated, his grip loosening again, and Yuu scooted closer, so his knees pressed against Bucky’s leg. And his gaze drifted again.

“Alma didn’t let them,” he told Bucky, and his breath hitched, almost imperceptibly. “We fought a lot in the beginning, ‘cause I was stupid, but then we were friends. We did… _everything_ together.” Because there was nothing better to do, but that wasn’t the point. “He picked me up and ran away with me, and when the CROW caught up, he kicked me into the canal so they wouldn’t have me.”

“But it wasn’t enough,” Bucky murmured, sounding as bitter as Yuu felt.

Yuu nodded numbly. “It wasn’t enough,” he echoed. “They found me a little later and brought me back… and I remembered. Everything.”

“I thought you said you didn’t?” Bucky asked, audibly concerned.

“I don’t,” Yuu shrugged. “But I did for a while.” He shook his head once, sharply. “They tried to kill me for good, then, and it almost worked. Then I synchronized.” He slipped one hand up from his hands to grip his wrist. “And I got out.”

Yuu hesitated again, and he could almost hear Bucky’s pause, felt his stillness beside him. He didn’t look up.

“While I was in there,” Yuu continued, quieter still. He felt Bucky lean down slightly to hear him better, and angled his head so that even as he didn’t look up, he was at least speaking towards Bucky. “Alma had found out what happened. To us. And he remembered everything.” His gaze shifted up towards Bucky. “When he died, I think he still did.”

This time, the silence was almost suffocating.

“What happened?” Bucky asked, turning to better face Yuu, one leg rising up onto the bed.

“He was so upset,” Yuu said distantly. Without thinking, he reached out with both hands and picked up the lotus that sat between them, and looked down at it, cradling it between them. “Because the Order betrayed us. And he decided that everyone in the lab deserved to die.” Bucky’s silence was a tangible thing that filled the air between them. “Forty-six people died.”

Bucky still didn’t speak, but his human hand lifted, slowly, to land on Yuu’s head, and then slid to the back, cradling it. Yuu kept his eyes on the flower.

His throat hurt. It was hard to speak. “Then… because they brought us back to… to fight… he thought that we should die, too. So the project would be a failure.”

He was crying again. Silent and still.

“I didn’t want to die.”

There was a beat, and then Bucky’s hand moved slightly against Yuu’s hair, and Yuu tilted his head back, meeting Bucky’s eyes again. Bucky didn’t look angry, or horrified, or betrayed.

He looked sad.

“I’m sorry, Yuu,” Bucky said. He looked like he could have cried. For Yuu.

Yuu swallowed. Hard. And he let the lotus fall, and moved so his hands rubbed against his forearms again. This time, he didn’t look away.

“About nine years later,” he said with difficulty, trying his best to finish. To tell Bucky everything the way he wanted to. “I found out that Alma hadn’t died that night. The Order kept him, and…” He trailed off, and decided what they’d kept him for wasn’t important, really. “He was unconscious, that whole time, but he was alive.”

He hesitated, thinking this part over, and when he picked back up, he was speaking slowly again, trying to keep his thoughts straight.

“The Noah woke him up,” he said at last, “because they wanted…” Belatedly, he remembered that none of them had told their parents about Neah yet. “They wanted me to hurt someone. And Alma was desperate.” He faltered, thinking, and then continued, “He hadn’t realized I didn’t know, when I…” No. “And he didn’t want me to know, because he was a boy now, so he thought I-” Stupid, stupid-

“Did you?” Bucky asked, barely breaking his solemn look to tilt his head.

Yuu shook his head furiously. “Of course not!” His breath hitched again. “It’s Alma. I don’t care. I never cared.”

He thought that, in better circumstances, Bucky might have smiled. As it is, Bucky nodded. “That’s okay. That’s good.” Pause. “What happened then?”

“We fought,” Yuu said, and it hurt. He’s been so stupid. So stupid. “I- I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t- I couldn’t-”

“Sh,” Bucky soothed, and he was rubbing, gently, where his hand still cradled Yuu’s head. Yuu was still crying, his breath catching on the edge of a sob. “Sh, Yuu, it’s okay.” His hand, the metal one, curled around Yuu’s arm, steady and firm, and his opposite hand reached for the cold metal like a lifeline. “You’re okay. It’s over.”

Yuu took a breath, and he wanted to scoot over and lean into Bucky, wanted to stop talking, but he wanted to finish more.

“We were both dying, at the end,” Yuu said, and he’d skipped a lot, but he couldn’t, he just couldn’t. “But there were- there were too many people around.” Breath. “I asked- I asked Allen to open a gate to a place we both knew, far away. And we went there, and…” Bucky’s arm was cold and smooth under his hand. It helped him focus, a little. Kept him here. “And Alma died.” He hesitated, and then finished, so choked it was almost a whisper, “He was so relieved.”

Bucky took a long silence, thinking it over, and Yuu was glad for it.

He’d never talked about that before, he realized, shutting his eyes. He couldn’t even tell how he felt about it.

Finally, Bucky tugged, pulling Yuu down with one arm and guiding his fall with the other, and Yuu toppled bonelessly against his side and didn’t move. He breathed, tears still dripping down his face, and felt Bucky breathe back.

“You’re a strong boy, Yuu,” Bucky said quietly, sounding as if he was having as much difficulty speaking as Yuu had. “Thank you for telling me.”

“He didn’t want this,” Yuu murmured, without moving or opening his eyes.

“I know,” Bucky said, and he did, now. “I’m sorry. For both of you. But you’ve done so well, Yuu. Better than anyone could have asked.” His grip tightened slightly, as if to emphasize his point. Or to protect Yuu. “The best you could.”

Yuu didn’t have to will to agree, or the strength to argue. He didn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry,” Bucky said again, and maybe he wanted to say more, but he didn’t.

“Tired,” Yuu murmured thickly.

“Then go to sleep,” Bucky replied quietly, and Yuu would never remember Bucky arranging him in the bed, or how tightly he held him that night.

He just slept.


	68. Chapter 68

Bucky woke up first. It was with a jerk, almost throwing the covers off of him, and then the covers _were_ off because he was striding away, across the room, scowling to himself and scrubbing a hand over his face.

He spun on his heel then and searched out Yuu, still fast asleep on the bed, and let out a breath.

Silently, he willed the image of bloody, terrified, furious Yuu to fade from his mind, because he would never let HYDRA’s control take him that far and it would never come to pass. All the same – it worked about as well as he’d expected.

He exhaled, returned to sit on the edge, just beside Yuu, and quietly opened the nightstand drawer, taking out his maintenance kit and flipping it open. His arm wasn’t in bad shape, but it was something to do with his hands.

It had taken him a long time to fall asleep, taking the time to work through what Yuu had told him. He still didn’t feel like he’d completely processed it. He probably wouldn’t for a long time yet.

It was… surprisingly easy, actually, to accept the idea of Yuu in love. Maybe it shouldn’t be; maybe it should be hard to believe, as young as he was physically and as childish as he often acted. But Bucky had seen a sophistication of emotion from Yuu that you couldn’t find in most grown adults, glimpses of maturity born from experience. The previous night had been the most profound of those examples, but certainly not the first.

Thinking of Yuu with blood on his hands – both literal and metaphorical – was a much more difficult prospect, and with only limited success, Bucky tried to squash down any mental images that tried to arise.

It made Bucky’s heart race and the edges of his vision tint red, and at the same time, it called to mind glimpses of baby Yuu screaming at the feeling of blood.

A thin metal tool snapped between his fingers, and he cursed, throwing it onto the nightstand in frustration.

“Dad?”

Yuu’s sleepy voice made Bucky start, and he closed the toolkit and half-twisted around. Yuu’s eyes were hazy, but slowly clearing as he pushed himself up, a slight frown on his face as he presumably processed his general grudge against existence.

After a moment, Bucky quirked both eyebrows up, ignoring the tension in his shoulders. “Finally up, sunshine?” he asked, deliberately ignoring the fact that he’d only woken a few minutes ago himself.

Yuu scowled at him, and then looked out the window, where rain beat against the glass. Bucky saw interest immediately kindle in his eyes and made a mental note to go outside – Yuu did enjoy rain an improbable amount.

“Feeling better?” Bucky asked after another beat, letting his voice turn a little more serious. He bent down slightly, putting the toolkit away entirely, and turned toward Yuu.

Yuu blinked, and Bucky could see him take a moment to process that and recall the events of the previous night. His frown turned somewhat pensive, and he shrugged.

“Yeah,” he allowed after a moment, shifting his gaze back to Bucky.

He considered Bucky for a long, slow moment, and Bucky watched him open his mouth slightly, clearly on the verge of speaking. Then Yuu huffed and sat up, crossing his legs under him.

“Is it okay?” he asked at last, gaze searching Bucky’s.

Bucky caught a hiss before it could escape.

“No,” Bucky said, without a second thought, and before Yuu could react, continued, “But you are. You did nothing wrong.”

Something amorphous swelled and swirled behind Yuu’s expression, and Bucky thought for a moment that he might smile. He definitely relaxed a little, one hand moving to rub against his leg. Bucky watched him for a moment, internally bitched that it was too damned early for this, and commented,

“You’ll have to talk to Miri about this, you know.”

Predictably, Yuu scowled. “Yeah,” he muttered resentfully.

Bucky almost smiled himself, and then pushed off the bed onto his feet. He had a few ideas of where to go from here, getting Yuu back on track, and the first, it turned out, was just a stroke of luck.

“It’s raining out,” he pointed out unnecessarily, and Yuu tilted his head up to frown at him questioningly. Bucky cocked one eyebrow and jerked his head at the window. “Want to spend some time out before we eat?” With a half-smirk, he added, “You’ve got to get some of that energy out of you, you bouncy little shit.”

Despite the jab, Yuu’s eyes brightened slightly, and he turned to roll out of bed and head instantly to pull his shoes on, which was answer enough.

Bucky held back a smile and headed after him, and then the two of them left.

They were quiet as they ignored the small marks of fighting still left over, the noises from the other rooms, and just about everything else until they reached the door. Then Bucky closed it behind them and leaned back against it to watch while Yuu ventured into the rain.

For a few moments, Yuu just stood in it, eyes closed. Then he shook his head, loose wet hair flying, and darted down the path to a puddle, where he kicked at the water for a few moments, light but quick, watching the water drops splatter. He played for a few minutes there, fixated, and then finally turned back up the path and sat on the edge and dug his fingers into the mud. And if Bucky knew his son, he planned to stay there for a while. To Bucky’s slightly smug satisfaction, he looked far more relaxed already, kneading his hands against the ground.

It was then that Bucky went to join him, grimacing freely at the cold rain soaking his clothing, and sat on the concrete beside him while he sifted his fingers through the wet dirt.

“So,” Bucky started, eyes on the sky and tone a faux-casual he’d probably adopted from Natasha or something. “What was Alma like?”

Yuu went still. Bucky didn’t look at him even as moments of silence slipped by, not until he heard Yuu hum, pensive again.

Yuu’s brow was furrowed, his bangs plastered against his forehead by the streaming rain. He was staring at the ground still, a cascade of emotions passing across his face and frame at a rate too fast to process.

Bucky knew it was a loaded question – it couldn’t possibly _not_ be – but he thought that if someone was that important to Yuu, it’d be _fantastic_ if he knew more than just the bad things about them. Yuu must remember.

Finally, though, the storm settled. Yuu smiled.

“He talked too much,” he said.

* * *

It wasn’t that Tony was unaware of Lavi’s mental state; he was. Lavi was only so fidgety when he was anxious or upset, and he kept closing his book and pushing it away and then opening it and picking up his pen without ever writing more than a few words at a time. There were three ripped-out pages on the ground around him.

Dummy noticed, too. Dummy gave Lavi a smoothie.

“If you keep trying to poison my son I’ll donate you to a community college,” Tony told him, and Dummy whirred innocently, while Lavi pulled the suspicious glass closer and smiled a little. “Don’t drink that, I don’t want to have to get your stomach pumped.”

He knew that Dummy had put oil in the smoothie, because Dummy _always_ put oil in smoothies when someone was upset, no matter how many times JARVIS explained that oil didn’t make humans as happy as it made Dummy.

Lavi closed his book again, pushed it away, and then stood up to reach and rub Dummy at the joint, leaving the glass behind.

“It’s okay, buddy, you tried,” he reassured the bot with a small smile, and Dummy whirred again, then carefully patted Lavi on the head.

Lavi’s smile quickly faded, though, and Tony finally made a move.

“Something the matter, little buddy?” he asked, his mind running through a thousand things. The weight in Tony’s stomach was caused by something Lavi had known about for years, he hadn’t been this bothered by any of the other attacks – the most likely thing, Tony thought, was…

Lavi reached up to wrap one hand gently around Dummy and looked at him, brow furrowed slightly with an apprehensive look. Tony looked back expectantly, and Lavi fidgeted for a moment, and then asked,

“Dad, is it my fault Lena and Yuu got caught?”

“Did you trigger Bucky’s code?” Tony countered without a moment’s thought.

Lavi’s frown took on a slightly less distressed quality, and he shook his head cautiously.

“Did you catch them yourself? Did you fly them away?”

Lavi shook his head again, slowly letting go of Dummy to step back and turn more towards Tony. “No?” he ventured, obviously confused.

“Then it wasn’t,” Tony informed him, spinning in his chair to face Lavi more fully as well. “It was just HYDRA.” Discomfited by Lavi’s expression, he continued, rambling, “Everything is HYDRA’s fault, honestly, especially when you get into the nitty gritty details of things, they’ve got their fingers in so many pies that they don’t have any fingers _left-”_

“But I froze up,” Lavi interrupted, frustration clear in his voice, and Tony stopped. Lavi was looking at him, green eyes stormy and self-incriminating. “Link made it so we could escape, and I _froze up,_ because I’m _still_ scared of f- _fire.”_

Tony knew that; he’d tracked them religiously through the security cameras, when he had time, and he swore it had made him twice as tense as they’d been living it.

These damned kids got into too much trouble, seriously.

Tony looked at Lavi for a long moment, not even sure what his expression looked like, but it made Lavi’s falter and the boy drop his gaze to the ground, folding his arms across his chest.

Then Tony got up, crossed the room so he sat beside Lavi, and then tugged lightly at the back of his shirt until Lavi was sitting, too, looking at him with most of the anger dissolved, leaving only an uneasy look of shame.

“I couldn’t take a bath for years, did you know that?”

Lavi frowned, confusion taking over again, and he shook his head.

Tony almost smiled, more out of instinct than humor. He reached over to rub Lavi’s shoulder, a ground and a comfort. “No bathing, no pools - I couldn’t even shower at first, I had to wipe myself down with a damn sponge. Humiliating, really, but you do what you have to do when you’re covered head to toe in oil and can’t stand the water.”

“…What happened?” Lavi asked after a moment, concern subverting most of the other emotion in his voice and expression.

“Waterboarding,” he explained, ignoring the tightness at the back of his throat. “In Afghanistan, way back even before I got the arc reactor – that was _when_ I got it, actually.”

Lavi tilted his head, studying him. Lavi could be hard to read when he wanted to be, but not now – now, worry and darkness and resentment passed behind his eyes in rapid sequence, before they settled on the same pensive regret. “How did you get over it?” he asked.

“Therapy, mostly,” Tony said wryly, and then, at Lavi’s face, “Pepper made me do it.”

Lavi smiled a little, finally leaning into Tony’s touch. “’Cause you’d never do it on your own,” he teased quietly, eyes on Tony’s.

“Nope,” Tony agreed, a little more cheerfully. “Don’t be like me, little buddy. Trust me, be like your mother.” He turned a little more serious. “Point is, though, your fear of fire isn’t your fault, and you can’t be blamed for it.”

Lavi’s frown returned, but Tony pushed his point.

“It’s something best moved past, sure, but no one’s going to hold it against you. I bet Link blames himself for causing the fire in the first place, right?”

“It wasn’t his fault, though,” Lavi said immediately, and then, almost immediately, his eyes turned thoughtful again. Tony smiled.

“Now you’re getting it.”

Lavi’s smile was tentative, but more real this time. “How long did it take you?” he asked quietly.

“Years,” Tony replied instantly, holding back a grimace. “There are still bad days. But it’s better.”

Lavi nodded, and then asked, abruptly, shifting his gaze away, “When is Mom coming home?”

Tony really did grimace this time, even as FRIDAY, above, answered immediately, “Three days from now.”

“Oh,” Lavi said, and looked disappointed enough that Tony had to hold down a flinch.

“We could call her,” he said instantly, making Lavi perk up slightly and look at him. “She’d pick up, she’s not doing anything right now-” Hopefully. “-and it’s been a while since we’ve talked, hasn’t it, Lavi?”

Lavi nodded quickly, a glint of eagerness in his eyes, and Tony picked him up and brought him to the desk, opened the laptop, and set to work Skyping Pepper with the technology he could and probably should improve on in his sleep-

“Lavi!” Pepper said, almost as soon as the call had connected. Her face flickered into view, stress lines fading away into a relieved smile. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“Mommy!” Lavi returned happily, relaxing noticeably.

“I see how I rate,” Tony complained, and suppressed a grin as both Pepper and Lavi shot him identical looks.

“Tell me how you’ve been,” Pepper ordered both of them without dignifying that with a response, and Lavi instantly obliged, while Tony, for the moment, sat back and waited.

And maybe started fidgeting with his project, but he was bored, so it wasn’t his fault. Really.

* * *

Coulson was busy enough that he and Link didn’t spend as much time together as they probably should; most of why Link visited was to see his friends, not Coulson – Coulson knew that.

Still, Coulson did make a point of, at least, eating meals with his nephew, _and_ making conversation during those meals. The latter point, he thought, was particularly important today, when so much had happened and Coulson had been too busy the past few days to talk extensively with him.

Link was eating his food steadily, most of his thoughts clearly elsewhere. When Coulson finally addressed him, he started, lifting his gaze to Coulson’s in question.

“So,” Coulson said, setting his fork down to look at Link, “how have you been dealing with the past few days?” With a small smile, he added, “I’d hate to face your mother if I returned you in anything less than one piece.”

Link tilted his head to consider him, setting his fork down as well with visible reluctance.

Finally, he shrugged, keeping his eyes on Coulson’s. “I’m fine,” Link answered, despite the slight tone of anxiety underscoring his words. “I’m just… worried. About everyone.”

Everyone, Coulson mused, could mean all of the people Link loved, or everyone in SHIELD – but probably it meant his friends.

“They’re getting through it,” he assured Link, who nodded uncomfortably. “You’ll be able to talk to them later, won’t you?” Link nodded again. “You can check on them yourself then.”

Link half-smiled. “It’s not like any of them tell the _truth_ about how they’re feeling,” he pointed out.

Coulson did smile then, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes. “I don’t know, I’ve heard Lavi’s been doing quite well about that.”

“That’s new,” Link muttered, but just the mention of the other boy had made his emotions shift visibly, and he was frowning again, worried.

Coulson raised one eyebrow, but his voice was a little gentler when he said, “You know he doesn’t blame you at all for what happened.”

“They never do,” Link said without missing a beat, but he shook his head quickly, dismissing his own words, and added, “I know.”

Coulson hid a grimace. “Though I am curious,” he said after a moment, a little slower and more thoughtful. Link frowned at him, and Coulson smiled demurely. “I’m surprised that your tags worked. Is there a way to make them here, after all?”

Link shifted away, brown eyes turning immediately wary.

“I always knew how to make them here,” he said cautiously, gaze suddenly unwavering. “It’s just the same.”

Coulson smiled encouragingly, adjusting himself to give Link the impression of space. “Can you show me sometime? If they can restrain even Bucky Barnes, I can only imagine what other applications they might have.” Though there was no video of the binding spell actually in action, there had been tags left on the ground, which had been diligently collected and filed away in the new, _locked_ box.

This was the wrong thing to say, however; Link’s gaze suddenly turned to steel, and he shoved away lightly, glaring defensively at Coulson.

“No,” he said sharply, in a voice that might have been crisp if it hadn’t had such an edge. “I’m not showing _anyone_ those spells.” With only the slightest waver in his voice, he added, “I’m not going to let them be used against them again.”

Well. Coulson wasn’t going to say he was _surprised,_ but-

“You know I wouldn’t do anything like that,” he said mildly, without making any moves one way or another. “SHIELD has never been that kind of organization.” SHIELD had done many things of dubious morality, including accidentally harboring a terrorist organization, but assassinating their own people had never been a part of that.

“I gave my _life_ to CROW,” Link said fiercely, with an underlying tang of lingering hurt. “I don’t care how safe it seems, I’m not telling _anyone.”_

“But you kept the spells,” Coulson pointed out, allowing a note of question into his tone.

Link closed his eyes, took a breath, and visibly steadied. Then he nodded, opened his eyes, and pulled up one of his sleeves, revealing a roll of tags wrapped around his wrist.

“I made more,” he acknowledged after a moment, and Coulson wondered what kind of precautions he’d taken when he did that. “They… I needed them. Earlier.” He shrugged. “I mean, I already know how, so…”

Coulson half-smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. “Alright,” he said at last. “I won’t push the issue.”

He wondered how long they could keep backing off before they had to start pushing back.

Hopefully it wouldn’t get to that point before they stopped looking so damned _young._

(That was a joke. Even Steve looked young compared to Coulson.)

Link held his gaze for a long moment, and then sighed, deflated, and nodded, pulling his sleeve back down. A few seconds passed in silence, and then Link admitted,

“I don’t want to leave them alone, but…” He shifted his gaze back up to Coulson, looking slightly guilty. “I kind of want to go home.”

Coulson blinked, and then smiled as comfortingly as he could.

“They won’t be alone,” he said. “We’ll bring you home soon.”

Link nodded reluctantly, and then he turned back to his food, pulled it back, and started eating again, at a noticeably more subdued rate.

Coulson went back to his as well, and tried not to wonder how often this would happen.

Surely a massive organization like SHIELD could keep a handful of people safe. Right.

 _Well,_ he sighed to himself, _at least they’re resilient._


	69. Chapter 69

Pepper ran her eyes over the asphalt before her, looking over the busy workers and the scattered cars and the Quinjets and larger planes waiting for use. It wasn’t half as busy as an official airport, SHIELD wasn’t that fast-paced, but it still stood out from its surroundings.

Here, she wasn’t far from Headquarters or, more relevantly, the Avengers compound. It wasn’t that late in the day, either, perhaps just after dinner, so-

A smile broke out across her face, and her stride turned more purposeful as she found what she was looking for.

Holding his father’s hand, Lavi was waving furiously, not quite bouncing in place. With a shit-eating grin, Tony was waving too, only slightly more subdued. Both of them were walking toward her, just standing out from the crowd.

When they’d closed half the distance, Lavi apparently grew tired of waiting and let go of Tony’s hand, then took off running, red hair whipping in the wind. Pepper laughed and crouched down, and he grinned broadly and slammed into her full-force. If she’d had less practice wearing high heels, she might have fallen.

“Mom!” Lavi shouted into her shoulder, muffled and happy. He turned his head to grin at her, eyes glittering. “You’re finally back!”

Pepper had to laugh. “You can’t really be surprised,” she teased, lifting him up easily and raising an eyebrow at Tony, who was grinning just as widely. “It’s not every day you come out to the air strip, after all.”

Lavi squirmed, his grip on her tight and steady. “I’m not surprised,” he admitted, thoroughly unapologetic. “But I missed you!”

Pepper’s smile softened, and she patted Lavi’s back gently. “I missed you too, honey.” Tony finally reached her, and she added to him, “I can’t believe the _trouble_ you get into when I’m not around.”

Tony hooked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a quick kiss, and then pulled away still grinning. “You know I only do it to bring you home faster,” he said cheerfully, though there was a touch of a grimace in his eyes that most probably couldn’t have detected.

Pepper raised an eyebrow at him. “There are other ways,” she deadpanned, but she, in return, pecked his cheek quickly. It wasn’t his fault disasters befell the Avengers more or less constantly.

Though she did wish she hadn’t been away for the immediate aftermath of this one. Lavi was clinging to her a little too tightly to keep her from worrying.

“So,” she asked, glancing towards the compound, not quite in sight. “What business do I have here at home, now?” She knew already that there was lots to handle – the rapidly approaching prospect of school for the older kids, the disaster of a few days ago, everything she’d likely missed-

“It can wait,” Tony said easily, and pulled her forward while Lavi grinned against her shoulder.

Pepper smiled, eyes dancing. Which one of them was her child, again?

* * *

Most mornings, after breakfast, Steve and Natasha would go work out together in the gym, and ninety-eight percent of the time, Allen went with them. Today, unusually, Steve was doing his morning run on the treadmill, while not far away, Natasha was dancing.

Unsurprisingly, Natasha’s routine was very different from her husband’s, with more emphasis on flexibility and speed. When he broke punching bags, she usually practiced martial arts, and when he lifted weights, she might climb.

They stretched together and sparred together every morning, though, nowadays with Allen in tow, stretching alongside them and cheering as they fought.

Today, though, after all the stress and turmoil of the previous days, Natasha was teaching her son ballet.

Slowly, Natasha moved into the routine that was almost more engrained in her than the draw of a gun or a breath, and even slower, Allen followed her, lips pursed in concentration. The movements were basic enough that he could manage them with both arms, shaky and stiff with inexperience.

She smiled slightly, giving him a small nod. “Just like that,” she said lightly, and Allen beamed at her, bright and pleased. “Keep your shoulders even.”

Allen nodded quickly, and then raised one arm as she did, motion a little rough but almost right.

Allen had dealt amazingly well with the last few days; it was the best example of his improved resilience so far, and Natasha could honestly say that she was more proud of him than ever. Still, while he hid it worryingly well, it was clear that he’d been bothered, and he knew it, too.

“Why did you want to learn?” Natasha asked, moving into the next position with careful precision. She had her guesses, but she wanted to hear it from him.

Allen shrugged, shooting her a quick, bright smile.

“It looked fun,” he explained, and then copied her.

Natasha read between the lines; he’d been stressed and anxious, and he wanted to spend time with them doing something fun. And he’d chosen this.

Natasha’s smile warmed slightly, and she glanced over at Steve, who was watching the two of them with that warm smile – not even breaking a sweat despite damn near wearing out the treadmill. Laughter rose into her throat, and she called out,

“Why don’t you get over here and join us instead of just watching?”

“I don’t know, you two look just fine over there.” But he reached up and tapped the console anyway, and the treadmill slowed to a halt.

Allen tilted his head up at Steve and grinned, and then Natasha demonstrated the next motion, and he followed.

Steve stood beside them, but he didn’t join in, instead folding his arms behind him and watching. Natasha considered making fun of him for it, but after a moment opted to cycle over and repeat the routine instead, and Allen shot her a bright, pleased smile.

“I haven’t seen you dance for fun in a while,” Steve commented to Natasha, a hint of curiosity leaking into his tone.

“I haven’t had much time to spare,” Natasha dismissed. It wasn’t, strictly speaking, true, but she hadn’t had the interest, either. While she liked dancing, sometimes it just felt too frivolous.

Steve held her gaze for a few moments, but eventually decided not to pursue the topic. He sat down in the middle of the floor, close to Allen, and watched for a while. When Allen overbalanced and nearly tipped over, Steve reached out and steadied him, and Allen gave him a bright smile that Steve returned just as easily.

“How are you and Yuu doing?” Steve asked, fingers lingering on Allen’s shoulder. When Allen’s smile wavered slightly, his motions stilling, Steve continued, “Bucky told me that he went to you first, about Alma.”

Natasha glanced over at Steve, and while his tone hadn’t betrayed much, his jaw was set, his brow furrowed, and his eyes reflected Arctic ice. And she knew that he was only as restrained as he was because he’d taken his time ranting and worrying after Bucky had first passed the news on.

Yuu’s story had struck a lot of chords with Steve. Natasha thought that he would campaign for Alma until they’d gotten him back if he had to, if only because it so easily could have been him and Bucky.

Allen hesitated, and then he gave Steve a shy smile, pulled away, and sat down across from him. With a slight uptick of her eyebrows, Natasha stopped as well and sat down with them, just the three of them in the middle of the gym floor.

Allen nodded first, and squirmed in thought for a moment, and then finally answered, “Good. Yuu was just upset… an’ he knew I could keep up.” He shrugged, a small flush of color rising to his cheeks. “He’s kinda… wild when he’s angry.”

It had always been clear to Natasha that Allen and Yuu were close, but it was interesting to see how deep their trust ran.

It was good.

“That’s no surprise,” Steve said at last, reaching over to curl his fingers through Allen’s hair. Allen tipped his head into the touch – he always did – and watched him. Steve smiled. “It’s good that he has you.”

Allen smiled shyly and reached up – his left hand, bare and black, shook slightly, and then settled awkwardly on Steve’s wrist. “He’d be okay,” he said with quiet confidence. He tilted his head slightly, thought a moment, and then almost spoke again, but didn’t.

“Hey, Capsicle,” Natasha said, when Allen didn’t say anything more, but just continued to watch his father. Steve turned his head to her to give her a questioning look, and Natasha smirked slightly. “Why don’t you tell Allen about you and Bucky back in the good old days?”

Steve blinked, and then laughed quietly.

“Sure.”

* * *

The senior staff kitchen tends to be more than fully stocked, and Lenalee can no longer remember whether that was Coulson’s call or Tony’s. Either way, for the lunches she and Melinda make and eat together, the two of them still usually stick to basics.

Lenalee takes a bit of her sandwich and taps her feet against the legs of the chair. Her ankles, her knees, her calves still ache, and she’s not meant to be walking much, but that’ll only stop her for so long.

She _hated_ needing to keep still.

Melinda, meanwhile, had carefully set her work aside, and she was keeping half an eye on Lenalee, as she always did. Even, Lenalee sometimes thought, when they weren’t even together. It was reassuring sometimes.

“Lenalee,” Melinda said at last, and Lenalee looked up, eyes wide and startled, because Melinda sounded serious and tired. “You know you mean the world to me, don’t you, baby girl?”

Confused, Lenalee tilted her head. “I know, Mama.”

Melinda’s expression was still serious, brown eyes almost boring into her, with a slight furrow to her brow.

“More than anything,” she emphasized, “No matter what happens or what you can do, understand?”

Lenalee blinked, and then her mouth fell open slightly as she worked out what Melinda meant. And then she smiled, wide and warm.

“I know,” she repeated, more earnestly this time. “I love you too, okay? Always.”

She wasn’t afraid anymore. She wasn’t _worried_ anymore. Not about that, anyway.

Melinda gave her a brief smile that Lenalee returned tenfold, and then Melinda tapped her fingers along the side of her plate, thoughtful, and added, “I _am_ curious as to how that came about. We weren’t expecting you to activate for at least another two years.”

Lenalee smiled and shrugged and knocked her heels together gently. “I guess… I didn’t need my Boots in two years. I needed them _then.”_

Melinda raised her eyebrows, a hint of dry, almost bitter amusement tugging at her mouth. “You needed to defend your family with your own strength,” she completed, and Lenalee beamed at her and bobbed her head.

“You get it,” she said happily, and then, with a slightly different lilt to her voice, “Your family is everything to you, too.”

Melinda looked at her for a long moment, and then she smiled again, subtle and slight. “That it is, baby girl.”

Lenalee smiled at her, and then added, “That’s how I activated last time, too. An akuma went after my brother.” It had gone after her parents, too, but she didn’t remember that, and it didn’t really matter anymore. She hadn’t activated to save _them._ “And I wanted to save him.”

“And did you?” Melinda asked, eyebrows slightly raised.

Lenalee’s smile this time had an edge of satisfaction and an underscore of sadness.

“Of course I did,” she assured her.

“Good girl.”

* * *

“School,” Lavi said to Yuu, light but unreadable.

“School,” Yuu snorted, derision in his tone.

It wasn’t the first time the idea had been pitched to them, but it was the most real. Tony and Pepper had taken the two of them aside and introduced the school, pointed out a picture of the teacher, and even shown them the list of school supplies that they would, apparently, actually _go out_ to get. For preemptive socializing. Or something.

Lavi gave him a wry smile, the two of them isolated in the corner of the playroom, with Lenalee and Allen leaving them alone to talk for now.

“At least we’ll be going out more?” Lavi ventured after a moment, visibly considering. “This is a big place, but it’s still, you know, _one place.”_

“Last time I left, it was ‘cause I got kidnapped,” Yuu sniped.

“Yeah, well, things happen,” Lavi countered, giving him a half smirk. “You’re just a stormcloud of bad luck, Yuu.”

“Don’t I know it,” Yuu muttered irritably. He tapped his fingers on his arm. “Why do we _need_ to? They aren’t gonna teach us

“Probably,” Lavi conceded. “But I mean. We don’t know.” He cut his gaze over to Yuu. “It’ll help us act more like kids, too.”

“I don’t _need_ to,” Yuu countered sharply. _We_ don’t need to.

“Not _now,”_ Lavi agreed. “Not for Bucky, or Mom or Dad.” He shrugged, but didn’t finish the thought. Yuu was well able to follow it to its conclusion on his own, and he hissed.

“Whatever,” he snapped, but he didn’t argue, either. He huffed. “What the hell are we gonna do once we get there? We don’t know _anybody.”_

Lavi clasped his hands together and shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Yuu started slightly, and glanced over at Lavi, brow furrowed.

Lavi looked pensive, he realized, almost closed-off. Just as unsure as Yuu was, probably.

Yuu sighed.

“We’ll have to figure it out, won’t we,” he muttered.

Lavi grinned at him. “Don’t we always?”

Yuu held his gaze, and then looked away, considered, and shrugged.

“I guess.”


	70. Chapter 70

“How are the kids?” Natasha asked Clint, exactly ten minutes into their conversation. Her gaze lingered on Allen’s abandoned stuffed dog, laying on his bed, while her fingers tapped on her knee absently.

She could almost hear Clint’s grin. _“Keeping me from my sleep, as usual. Cooper’s started learning to shoot, have I mentioned that? He’s gonna be great, just you watch. Well, when he stops trying to break into the gun cabinet when I’m not looking. Now Lila’s pestering me to teach her too, and Nathaniel’s started giving me grey hairs just walking around, he gets into so much trouble. He tried to knock over the bookshelf just last week. Nearly succeeded, too.”_

Natasha laughed quietly. “You sure have your work cut out for you, don’t you?” she teased, crossing one leg over the other. “You should have known they’d be troublemakers just like you.”

 _“Yeah, well, hindsight’s twenty-twenty,”_ Clint snorted. _“And not nearly as useful as it is when I take a shot, let me tell you. What about your transdimensional monsters? Dropped any new bombshells lately?”_

A slight smile tugged at Natasha’s mouth. Clint had been invaluable when it came to learning to care for the kids – both before and after the initial reveal. Almost as often as she went to Steve, when she was wary and uncertain, she called Clint. And Clint, of course, always answered.

It was a different bond from what she had with Steve, but just as strong. She wouldn’t trade Clint for the world.

“Not as of late, no. I think they’re still recovering from the last one. They’ve been keeping together again.” It was something they did for a few weeks after every new upheaval; she wasn’t even sure they’d noticed. Then she paused briefly, and, finally, said, “Lavi and Yuu will be starting school this year.”

Clint didn’t answer, at first.

Though she alone of the Avengers had kept contact with Clint since the initial separation – of course she had – Natasha hadn’t asked him to come back, not even to come by. He had his own reasons for staying away.

This was different, though – this was something normal, something he’d be comfortable stepping in on, without fear of being dragged back into a life he’d half-left already. And she knew he wouldn’t want to stay out of the kids’ lives forever.

 _“I didn’t realize Lavi was that old already,”_ Clint said at last, his voice deliberately cheerful but tinged with a form of regret. _“Damn, time flies.”_

“It does, doesn’t it?” Natasha agreed dispassionately. Her gaze moved to the window, and the summer greens outside. “He misses you, I think.”

Clint was silent for a few more moments, and then he sighed.

 _“You’re trying to say something, aren’t you, Tasha?”_ he asked ruefully.

Natasha didn’t bother denying it.

“You haven’t met Allen yet,” she informed him, keeping her voice light. It didn’t matter, anyway; Clint, when she wasn’t actively deceiving him, could almost always guess what she was thinking, and he knew what it would mean to her.

Clint half-laughed. _“Alright, alright,”_ he murmured, and she was almost surprised at how easily he gave in. _“I can probably drop by for a few weeks, alright? But no funny business while I’m over there.”_

“No funny business,” Natasha agreed, a genuine smile spreading across her face. “Well, nothing more than happens here on a daily basis.”

 _“I don’t trust that,”_ Clint snorted. _“I remember what Avengers daily business looks like. But okay. I’ll see you soon, Tasha.”_

“You better, Barton,” Natasha returned, and she was still smiling.

* * *

Clint was a stubborn man, and as a stubborn man, he arrived via a civilian airport, rather than the much more convenient SHIELD one using, say, a Quinjet or even one of Stark’s planes.

Natasha took Allen to the airport by herself. The previous night, several of the Avengers had gone on a mission to shut down a HYDRA base, and they were lazing it off now. Steve had spearheaded it; Yuu’s story had given him a new burst of determination, as if he didn’t have enough already.

If they didn’t find Alma within six months, Natasha would be very surprised. Rescuing, though – she supposed it depended on how deep the programming ran, and how things played out when they finally encountered him.

She remembered very well what it was like to be a child under the control of others, and she doubted very much that another lifetime of broken memories would help very much at all.

All they could do was try- and then try again, and again, and again.

“Hey, Mommy? When did you an’ Clint meet?”

Natasha half-smiled, just refraining from glancing back to Allen, sitting in a booster seat just behind the passenger’s seat. She’d mentioned Clint to him a few times before – not often, not with any special significance, but sometimes.

Nevertheless, when she’d said she was taking him to meet him, he’d picked up some of the importance of the statement. It wasn’t a surprise anymore; she suspected that someday, he’d be the only one who could read her whenever he wanted.

“Almost ten years ago,” she answered, casting her mind back. She hadn’t been on nearly the sort of leash Bucky had been kept on, which had been their mistake – it was only the lack of better options that kept her on their side. And when that changed- “He recruited me into SHIELD on a mission, and we’ve been partners ever since.”

“Like me an’ Yuu,” Allen said, sounding pleased. Natasha nodded, smile widening slightly.

“Exactly,” Natasha agreed. “The best partner I’ve ever worked with – and a loyal friend, too.” She did glance back this time, finding Allen looking at her with curious silver eyes, palms pressed to his knees as he listened. He was wearing his gloves; he always put them on before they left the house. “He’ll be glad to meet you. I’ve told him a lot.”

Allen made a soft sound, and then beamed at her. She smiled back, and then returned her eyes to the road. They were almost there.

“Tell me a story,” Allen requested, expectant.

Natasha raised her eyebrows slightly. “About me and Clint?” she asked, letting amusement leak into her voice.

“Mm-hm!”

She thought for a moment, and then a small smirk appeared on her face, and she started, “Why don’t I tell you about the time Clint and I had to slip past an entire gang-”

Allen listened intently, giggling periodically and occasionally interrupting with questions, and Natasha told the story with an ease she wouldn’t have managed just a year or two before. Practice really did make perfect, it turned out.

The story lasted until they reached the airport, and Natasha finally finished as she pulled into the parking garage.

Natasha wasn’t recognizable by herself, just another pretty redhead with a sway in her walk, but Allen was wearing a green beanie, half his face buried against her shoulder, holding on tight. Natasha shifted slightly, one hand lifting to cradle the back of his head and _coincidentally_ hiding most of the rest of his hair, and he tipped his head up to give her a hesitant smile, which she returned easily.

The airport was crowded, this time of year, and Natasha still found herself glad that Allen had chosen to be carried. She’d hate for him to get lost... or worse. She’d had quite enough of worse for at least the next fifteen years.

Clint should be waiting outside, probably packed light; he wouldn’t need for much while he was at the compound-

Natasha smiled, and almost immediately felt Allen perk up with interest.

Clint didn’t look much different than he had when she’d last seen him – a little older, a little less stressed, but he still looked up at her and grinned the same easy grin, and stood up with his backpack slung over his shoulder, striding over with a walk that belied his training.

“Tasha!” he greeted, clapping her on the shoulder, eyes bright and genuinely pleased. “You only look a little less scary when you have a toddler on your hip. How is that?”

She raised her eyebrows at him, unimpressed, but she was smiling anyway, more relaxed than enthusiastic but still entirely sincere.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she returned, and then, keeping her voice even, glanced down and said, “Clint, this is Allen – Allen, say hello.”

Allen shifted up, and turned his head just enough to look at Clint with both eyes – coincidentally, also just enough to reveal the scar on his face.

“Hi, Clint,” he offered, giving Clint a small smile, and Natasha felt a small, warm burst she would never tire of.

“Hey, kid,” Clint returned cheerfully, reaching over to pat the beanie. Allen laughed. “Your mom’s told me all about you.”

“She told me ‘bout you, too,” Allen told him, a shy, sly edge tacking onto his smile.

“I don’t trust that even a little bit,” Clint said, and grinned at Natasha. “So, back to the team?”

“The team, and then some,” Natasha agreed.

And then she could ask him why he’d looked so startled when Allen showed him his scar. He’d known it was there, after all, and he wasn’t the type to flinch from a scar – not even one like Allen’s.

* * *

Lavi threw himself at Clint as soon as he was close enough, and Clint caught him like he did it every day, which, honestly, he probably did.

“Clint!” Lavi beamed, wrapped around Clint like a koala bear. “It’s been ages!”

“Years,” Clint agreed with a small grin, hefting Lavi up with only a small amount of awkwardness. “I hear you kept a few secrets from me while I was here before?”

“Yep!” Lavi confirmed shamelessly. “And you didn’t suspect a thing, so ha.”

Natasha smirked, and Clint chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

“You’ve got me there,” he conceded, and let Lavi down so the boy could back up. Clint studied Lavi for a quick moment, and Natasha caught a glimpse of the same startled look, this time with an edge of calculation. Then it was gone, and Clint grinned. “So, where’s the rest of your oversized family?”

“Inside!” Lavi told him cheerfully, tugging at his jacket and backing away impatiently.

Allen, now on his own feet, moved to catch up to Lavi and help him urge Clint along. The beanie was gone, but he was still wearing his gloves, which were always slower to leave.

“Mom’s home right now,” Lavi was telling Clint, sounding inordinately pleased, “and I think she has some things to say to you, y’know? She even made Dad put extra-large vents in the compound-”

“She knows me too well,” Clint snorted, taking his sweet time moving along. He glanced back at Natasha, and Natasha just caught the wisp of discomfort. She didn’t move to save him, though – she just smirked, and Clint barely hid a grimace. “What’s your dad been up to?”

“Hacking HYDRA, I think,” Lavi replied instantly. “And I think he’s running analysis on the Innocence with Simmons in his spare time.” He glanced back with a slightly more rueful grin. “And then there’s all his other stuff. Dad’s busy.”

Natasha glanced over, but the tone was unmistakably amusement, without any resentment or disappointment. Allen didn’t look worried, either, flashing Lavi a quick grin of his own.

She made a mental note anyway.

They passed security and entered the compound. Steve met them first, giving Natasha and then Allen a warm smile each, and then finally holding out a hand to Clint.

“It’s been a while,” he greeted, a touch of amusement to his voice as Clint winced. “How have you been, Clint?”

“Just fine,” Clint replied, with a hint of sharp stiffness this time. “Raising a family in peace and quiet, you know. It works better when you don’t raise them right next to a secret headquarters.”

Steve’s smile faded, and Natasha pinched Clint’s side in reprimand, making him grimace.

“I’d bet it does,” Steve agreed, one hand going up to rub the back of his neck. He glanced down at Allen, who cocked his head expectantly, and he laughed and shook his head slightly. “What do you think of that, Allen? Peace and quiet?”

“I don’ think it’d work,” Allen opined, letting go of Clint to dart over beside his father with a slight smile.

A door opened, and Natasha glanced up as Bucky and Melinda entered, talking quietly, bearing Yuu and Lenalee with them; the latter two were close enough that she suspected they were their motivation for spending time together. Yuu _had_ been as clingy as he got recently, though perhaps ‘watchful’ was a better term.

Lenalee’s eyes instantly landed on Clint, burning with curiosity, but Yuu looked to Allen and then Lavi before finally examining the newcomer with a small, unhappy scowl that made Natasha’s lips twitch.

She glanced at Clint, arms crossed and expectant, and was only half surprised to see that a thoughtful look had supplanted any other expression she might’ve expected from him at this moment.

He crouched down, offering both of them a smile. “Hey,” he greeted easily. “Lenalee and Yuu, right?”

Lenalee tilted her head slightly, and left her mother’s side to move forward, her new red bangles clinking around her ankles. Yuu looked like he might’ve preferred to stay back, if only to be belligerent, but he kept with Lenalee, eyes dropping to the ground as he scowled harder.

Melinda met Natasha’s eyes, raising an eyebrow, and Natasha offered a slight shrug. She wasn’t sure, yet, but something had definitely struck a chord with Clint. He thought he knew something.

“Hi,” Lenalee returned, reaching out a hand. Clint shook it lightly, his hand almost comically larger than hers and his head still cocked slightly in a birdlike expression of contemplation. Lenalee smiled at him and stepped back, folding her hands behind her back. “You’re Natasha’s friend, aren’t you?”

“I am,” Clint confirmed. “Got three kids of my own, too, so let me tell you, this is weird as _fuck.”_

Lenalee giggled softly, not taking her eyes off his. “Anyone we know?” she asked lightly.

Natasha’s eyebrows rose, and her eyes went to Clint’s, while her body went perfectly still.

“Don’t think so,” Clint said conversationally. “But you know, my wife has a brother who likes to draw.”

Yuu looked up sharply. Natasha’s eyes narrowed.

“His name’s Froi. Ring a bell?”

Lenalee’s eyes widened, and then a smile spread across her face, delight and satisfaction and warmth tangling together. She clapped her hands together and spun to face Yuu, who looked like he’d been hit over the head with a brick. Lavi had turned too, wide green eyes seeking out Yuu’s, and Allen was beaming.

“Yuu!” she exclaimed. “Yuu, it’s Tiedoll!”

Clint rocked back on his heels, looking slightly stunned and a little exasperated. He pressed a hand over his face, half-hiding it from view.

“Right under our goddamn noses,” he muttered, voice slightly muffled by his hand.

Natasha wanted to laugh.

After a moment, she glanced at Steve, who was smiling already, looking relieved and pleased, glancing up to meet her gaze. She smiled back and then turned her gaze on Bucky, who, she expected, would’ve noticed the same implications she had.

Sure enough, calculations were passing behind his eyes, and he was already moving towards Yuu, crouching beside him.

“Who’s Tiedoll?” he asked, one eyebrow ticked up and a hand landing on Yuu’s shoulder to gain his attention.

Yuu spun to him, and the motion broke him out of his trance. Now he was shifting from foot to foot, restless with some combination of anxiety and impatience. He kept his eyes fixed to Bucky’s, urgent and still tinged with surprise, and reached out to grab his jacket insistently.

“He’s my master,” he said, still sounding a little breathless and stunned. “He taught me- I-” He stopped but squirmed in place, apparently wrestling with himself.

Bucky didn’t look too surprised, but he did look a little apprehensive – probably appropriate, considering how the meeting between Steve, Natasha, and Cross had gone. Yuu didn’t wait for him to process the information, though. He turned to Clint and darted over to glare up at him, fists clenched, aggressive enough to make Clint raise his eyebrows, more bemused than concerned and probably still processing what he’d just learned about his brother-in-law.

“I wanna talk to him!” he demanded, voice high with strain and sharp with impatience. “Let me talk to him!”

Clint glanced up at Natasha, and Natasha inclined her head slightly. It was usually for the best to put them in contact as soon as possible, and she wondered how long Tiedoll had been alone.

“Don’t give him a heart attack, kiddo,” Clint said after a moment, and he reached for his phone.


	71. Chapter 71

_“Hello? Who is this?”_

Yuu had to swallow once, then twice before he found his voice. Even then, all he managed to say was, “It’s me, Master.”

There was a sharp intake of breath, and then a thump. Yuu frowned, shrugging off Bucky’s hand when it landed questioningly on his arm. After a few moments, a few more sounds came through, and then Tiedoll asked,

_“Yuu? Is that you, child?”_

Yuu’s first instinct was to scowl, but without his permission, a flicker of a smile passed across his face, and he relaxed. Tiedoll recognized his voice. Of course he did.

“Yeah,” he answered, uncharacteristically quiet. He tapped his feet together, considering, and then continued, “Where’ve you been? You’re so slow.”

Tiedoll laughed. If it sounded slightly choked, Yuu paid it no mind. _“I’ve been teaching, Yuu. But don’t mind me, I only- Yuu, where are you? Who are you with?”_

Yuu hesitated, shifting in place and tilting his head as he thought. Tiedoll waited in silence, which Yuu was grateful for; it was hard for him to explain.

“I’m in New York. I’m with…” His eyes flicked up to Bucky, who was watching him, attentive and patient. And for a moment, he wondered how Tiedoll, who had always tried to insert himself into the empty role of ‘father’, would take this. “…With Dad.”

 _“Dad?”_ Far from sounding put out, Tiedoll could have been flying for the happiness in his voice. Yuu let out a soft, silent breath. _“You have a father, Yuu?”_

Yuu nodded silently, and then remembered Tiedoll couldn’t see him. “Yeah.”

 _“Tell me about him,”_ Tiedoll demanded. _“Tell me about you, Yuu. Are you okay? Are you happy?”_

And that was it. In a moment, Tiedoll had dismissed a handful of questions – was anyone else around, what had happened, how he’d found out, even how Clint was reacting – and moved straight on to Yuu. At least for the moment.

It should have been annoying.

Yuu swallowed and tried to ignore the way his eyes felt wet, just a little.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, and then, a little louder, “Dad’s name is Bucky. He’s… really patient, and-”

Tiedoll listened.

* * *

Allen exchanged a small grin with Lavi, who looked quietly delighted. Yuu had clearly forgotten about the rest of the room, too busy telling Tiedoll all about life at the compound, and especially about Bucky.

It had taken Clint a little while to get a hold of Tiedoll, so they’d migrated to the Avengers living room in the meantime. Allen was sitting on Natasha’s lap, beside Clint, while Steve sat by Bucky as unfairly amused moral support. Bucky, meanwhile, was clearly listening intently to Yuu’s rambling words, though Yuu was currently oblivious to his attention.

Most of the room was quiet, but not silent; Lenalee and Melinda were talking, sitting close on an armchair, and Tony and Pepper were bickering over something over Lavi’s head, while Lavi ignored them both to watch Yuu.

Allen would have been content to sit and listen, as Lavi was, but Clint drew his attention when he spoke, though the words were to Natasha.

“Looks like you’ve been busy,” he commented, gesturing at the wall full of pictures, most of which had indeed been taken by Natasha. He flashed Natasha a grin. “At the rate you’re going, you’ll have taken up every wall in the house by the time he’s ten.”

“I’m sure Stark would be happy to provide extra walls,” Natasha said dryly, a smile twitching at her lips.

“Fucking Stark,” Clint muttered, and then bit his cheek. “Wait, no-” He glanced down at Allen. Allen was laughing at him. Clint rolled his eyes. “This is bullshit. I should have been safe for at least three more years. He’s not allowed to share your sense of humor yet, understand that, kid?”

Allen widened his eyes innocently at Clint, and Clint scowled at him, though it wasn’t nearly harsh enough to be serious.

“What’s ‘bullshit’?” Allen asked, in a perfect imitation of an ordinary child, and then dissolved into giggles when Clint glowered at him, unable to completely hide his own grin.

Natasha chuckled quietly as well, a glint of amusement in her eyes. It faded after a few moments, and when Clint glanced back up to her, he stilled. Allen tilted his head.

“I’d like to know, though,” Natasha started, light. Clint waited. “How did you figure out so quickly that Froi was an exorcist too?”

“Oh!” Clint relaxed instantly, chuckling, and glanced down at Allen. He reached out to tap the pentagram on Allen’s forehead lightly, and Allen froze, watching him. “Froi’s been drawing these kids as long as I’ve known him. I might not have noticed if this one-” Clint grinned at Allen, and after a moment, Allen smiled hesitantly back, reaching up to push his hand away. “-hadn’t been so distinct, but that was about all it took. They’re definitely the same. Kind of eerie, really.”

“And you didn’t think anything was strange about that?” Natasha asked, eyebrows arched. One of her hands went to thread through Allen’s hair, stroking absently, and Allen hummed happily.

“Well, we thought he’d made them up,” Clint said dryly. “Since about half the time he draws them doing things like fighting monsters.”

“About how old would you say they are?” Natasha asked, with an unconcerned tone Allen didn’t believe in the least.

Clint didn’t seem to, either, from the look he gave her. He didn’t seem worried, though, still caught halfway to smiling.

“This one-” He nodded at Allen. “-probably runs from about thirteen to sixteen or so.”

“Fifteen,” Allen said resentfully. He’d been a particularly young-looking fifteen-year-old.

“Maybe Froi needs to work on his drawing more than I thought,” Clint offered, hiding a grin.

Allen doubted it. He pouted.

Clint laughed at him, loud enough to draw Lavi’s attention briefly. Lavi looked over and gave Allen a questioning look, and Allen grinned ruefully back, which made Lavi grin in return.

“That cloak of yours looks badass, though,” Clint said offhandedly, reclaiming Allen’s attention. “That’s your Innocence, isn’t it?”

Allen grinned and bobbed his head. “Crown Clown,” he said with undisguised pride. He did love his Innocence.

“Huh.” Clint considered for a moment, and then asked, “Whiteface clown?”

At Allen’s surprised look, Natasha chuckled quietly and explained, “Clint grew up in a circus.”

Allen blinked, and then, a moment later, his face split into a wide grin.

“Me too!” he told Clint happily, leaning forward a little.

To his credit, Clint barely blinked himself before he grinned back.

“Was it hell?” Clint asked him with inappropriate cheer.

Allen clapped a hand over his mouth and giggled. He nodded.

Clint chuckled. “What did you end up doing?”

Allen grinned through his fingers. “I was a clown,” he answered, pleased.

“I was a sharpshooter,” Clint replied.

Natasha smiled to herself as they grinned at each other in understanding.

She knew they’d get along. And next time they met, she was sure Allen wouldn’t be wearing his gloves.

* * *

Once Yuu ran out of both things to say and excess sentimentality, Tiedoll assured them that, since it was summer, he’d be able to fly out within a month.

Tony, of course, quickly broke in and promised to send a jet for him, claiming that he was impatient and commercial flights took too long anyway and were smelly and loud and-

Lavi had stopped paying attention after a while, but he and Pepper had spent the rest of the speech silently making fun of Tony as he chattered Tiedoll into submission.

Overall, Lavi was happy with how things were at the moment. Tiedoll’s discovery seemed to have banished Yuu’s remaining distress, though Lavi was sure it would return when they finally found news. Natasha’s friend Clint had arrived, and he seemed to be getting along well with Allen. As he glanced over, he could tell that Lenalee was pleased, just because all her friends were happy, and that was good, too.

And Pepper was home. That was always wonderful.

“Y’know, it’s kinda weird,” Lavi commented without thinking, glancing up at Pepper, who gave him a questioning look. “There aren’t that many of us.” He tilted his head, considering, gaze drifting aside as he frowned. “It’s pretty lucky that so many have landed close to SHIELD. I mean, you’d have thought we’d’ve ended up all over.”

He returned his eyes to Pepper’s and found her looking mildly alarmed. A moment later, his eyes widened too as the implications set in.

“Your father can’t hear about this,” Pepper said firmly, keeping her voice low.

 _If he doesn’t figure it out himself,_ Lavi amended in his mind, but he nodded. Tony had enough to worry about already, especially when it came to the exorcist collective. And this was something he probably wouldn’t let go.

There was one good thing about being able to set your own Bookman rules, though. Lavi would probably note this suspicion down soon, so that he could flip back and laugh at himself when he finally figured it out.

If he figured it out.

Pepper’s hand landed on his head, and her thumb stroked over his forehead. He frowned up at her in question, and she smiled ruefully down at him.

“And we won’t worry about it, either,” Pepper said, in a tone that brooked no argument. “Let’s deal with things as they come, hm? Last I checked we have enough things to worry about in the present day.”

After a moment, Lavi relaxed and nodded, his smile moving to match Pepper’s.

Pepper’s smile shifted to something warmer and more sincere, and she continued, “Are you ready for when school starts? You probably won’t be learning anything new yet, but it’ll be a new experience for you.”

Lavi considered, and then shrugged. “I guess,” he said uncomfortably.

Pepper picked up on it instantly, of course. “What’s wrong?”

Lavi frowned, biting his cheek briefly. “I’m kinda worried about Yuu,” he said reservedly, glancing over at the other boy, currently engaged in incremental conversation with Bucky and Steve. “He doesn’t make friends easy.”

He glanced back up to Pepper, whose gaze had turned a little more thoughtful.

“Are you worried about making friends, too?”

Lavi grimaced, but he supposed he didn’t have a real reason to hide it.

“I _have_ friends,” he said defensively, crossing his arms.

To his surprise, Pepper smiled. “And you’re worried that you won’t get along with others, because you won’t be on the same level?”

Lavi’s grimace faded, and he shrugged again, neither confirming nor denying. Pepper laughed softly.

“Too much like your father,” she murmured fondly, which almost made Lavi smile. “Well, I can’t really talk to you about that – you might want to talk to Tony – but I think that you could make friends with whoever you wanted to.” Her gaze flickered around the room, and her smile turned slightly rueful. “Even if you might not be as close to them as you are to your friends here. Okay?”

Lavi considered that for a moment, and then smiled tentatively.

“Okay,” he agreed.

* * *

Yuu felt a little drained by the time he finally passed the phone to Bucky, who started talking to Tiedoll about coming. He felt pleased too, though. He’d missed Tiedoll a lot more than he’d realized.

And the man’s reaction had been _hilarious_ when Yuu finally got around to telling him where he was. He really shouldn’t be so prone to fretting, it was probably bad for his heart. Yuu smirked to himself, and it was almost a smile.

Steve was grinning at him, blue eyes sparkling. “You know, I never realized how much you loved Bucky ‘til now,” he commented, tone gently teasing.

Yuu felt his cheeks color, and he scowled. “Shut up,” he huffed, barely refraining from covering his face. He’d barely realized people were listening. Stupid. Why had he told Tiedoll so much about Bucky, again?

Right. Because Tiedoll had sounded so happy to learn that Yuu had found someone he could call a father, and Yuu had wanted to tell him about him.

Dammit.

Steve raised his hands in surrender, smiling warmly. “It’s not a bad thing,” he insisted, as if Yuu didn’t already know. “It’s actually wonderful to know.” He chuckled. “I promise I’m only thinking good things.”

Yuu huffed again, annoyed. _“I’m_ not,” he muttered rebelliously, and scowled as Bucky reached over to tug his hair lightly in reprimand. He sighed and relaxed a little, frowning up at Steve. “Anyway, wasn’t it obvious?” Honestly, some people.

At that moment, Tony seized the phone from Bucky to work his magic, chattering at Tiedoll in a manner that made Yuu briefly pity his old master.

With Bucky free, though, he reached out to catch his jacket and inform him, “Noise needs to come too.”

Bucky blinked, and then said, “Okay, I’ll bite. Why?”

Yuu shrugged, dropping his gaze a little. “General Tiedoll was his master too. Noise’ll want to see him, and Master’ll be happy, too.”

Bucky hummed, and then promised, “I’ll call his parents and see if we can get that done.” Yuu looked back up at him, and Bucky was smiling slightly, with a glint of warmth. Then, slightly teasing, “Look at this, I’m arranging playdates and everything. I’m a real adult now, I’m sure of it.”

Yuu rolled his eyes at Bucky. He was pretty sure Bucky would _never_ be a ‘real adult’.

* * *

“Aren’t you going to go talk to your friends?” Melinda asked Lenalee, cocking her eyebrows up when Lenalee didn’t get up as soon as Tony got off the phone.

Lenalee shrugged, smiling slightly. “They’re all happy where they are,” she dismissed, running an assessing eye over each of her friends again.

Allen and Clint were laughing together, Allen having moved off Natasha’s lap to sit between the two of them. Natasha was mostly watching, though Lenalee had seen her break in ever so often, which usually made Allen laugh and Clint protest.

Lavi and Pepper were talking quietly. Lavi was wearing a gentle smile Lenalee associated with him being at his most genuine, and he looked thoughtful, eyes on Pepper.

Yuu was engaged with Steve and Bucky, alternating between scowling and almost-smiling as they effectively distracted him from his anticipation. He was sitting a little away from them, turned to face them so he could focus on the conversation.

Lenalee was sure that she would be welcome in any one of those conversations – they’d never turn her away, just like she wouldn’t turn them – but they were perfectly fine at the moment, and really, so was she.

She turned a brilliant smile on Melinda. In her silence, Melinda’s expression had taken on a sort of amused understanding, and she returned Lenalee’s beam with a small smile of her own.

“I heard Natasha is giving Allen ballet lessons now,” Melinda commented, apropos of nothing, and Lenalee smiled.

“He’ll enjoy that,” she replied, thinking it over. “We’ve danced together a few times, and he seemed pretty good then.”

Melinda’s smile widened a little.

“I’ll have to take you ice skating sometime,” Melinda said thoughtfully. “I think you’d enjoy it.”

Lenalee looked up at her. She wasn’t sure the significance of ice skating, and Melinda’s expression wasn’t giving anything away- but she could guess anyway.

“Sounds like fun,” she said with a smile.


	72. Chapter 72

Towards the end of the day, when things had calmed down, Clint finally met the rest of the kids for real.

Lenalee was sleeping over at the Avengers compound – not necessarily an unusual arrangement – and Natasha and Bucky had stayed to facilitate the meeting. Or so they claimed; really, Natasha was mostly there to laugh at Clint (and see that nothing went too awfully wrong) and she was pretty sure Bucky was just the same.

At the moment, Clint was standing, trapped in the middle of the kids clustered around his legs. He might have been able to maneuver out anyway, but Allen was perched triumphantly on his shoulders, beaming guilelessly.

That expression was the main reason that Natasha thought that Clint’s position was in no way unintentional. She suspected, in fact, that either Lavi or Lenalee had specifically engineered this, probably because they thought it would be funny.

Natasha cast Bucky a glance, and Bucky was smirking, eyes dancing with amusement. He caught her eye and winked, a grin briefly stretching his mouth, and in return, a smile flickered across her lips, a matching light in her eyes.

“Is this some kind of revenge?” Clint asked the kids around his feet at last, playfully plaintive but ultimately unconcerned, arms crossed. “I swear I didn’t know I needed to invite Froi along.”

Lavi grinned at him. “No,” he said plainly, and then tugged sharply at Clint’s sleeve, not quite enough to unbalance him but having a good go at it anyway. “It’s revenge for leaving for so long!”

Ah. Natasha hid a grimace and decided that the whole situation was probably Lavi’s doing.

“Ohh,” Clint said, with dawning comprehension, and then, “…At least I didn’t miss your first day of school?”

Lavi pouted at him, but then nodded, eyes amused. “I guess,” he conceded, playfully grudging.

Allen tugged at Clint’s shirt from above, making the man glance up. “You need t’ meet th’ others,” he pointed out, reminding Natasha that Clint hadn’t even properly spoken to Lenalee or Yuu yet – or Lavi, when it really came down to it, having not seen the boy since he was a baby.

“I’m trying.” Clint nudged Lenalee off his other leg, and she smiled cheerfully and folded her arms behind her back in faux-innocence. Clint rolled his eyes. “Don’t you give me shit. I know Natasha. I know _all_ the tricks.”

Lenalee huffed out a laugh and nudged Yuu, who scowled but backed off, crossing his arms.

“You’re friends with Tasha, right?” Lenalee asked, meeting Clint’s eyes by tilting her head far back.

Clint dropped to the ground in a way that made Allen yelp and giggle, barely holding on (mostly because Clint was holding onto him in return.) Then he nodded, expression relaxing into a slight grin.

“You bet,” Clint confirmed. “And I’m never sure whether to .” He tilted his head slightly. “You’d be Lenalee, right?” Lenalee nodded. “How’s flying?”

Lenalee flashed him a grin. “Better than falling.”

“Who’s been telling stories?” Clint complained, sending Natasha a pointed glance. Natasha smirked.

“Steve,” she said, with such utter conviction that even Clint wouldn’t be sure whether or not she was lying.

She was only sort of lying. Steve liked to complain about his team’s recklessness, including Clint’s, even though Clint was no longer part of the team. Steve didn’t care. Of course.

“Steve says you fling yourself off buildings for fun,” Allen added, supporting Natasha’s claims probably for the hell of it.

“He would,” Clint muttered, and glanced at Yuu. “And you’re Yuu, obviously – Froi must’ve been missing you a lot. He drew you more than most – I didn’t see his drawings often, but I saw you a lot.”

Yuu ducked his head, hiding a bare hint of a smile. “Che.”

Finally, Lavi grinned, and scooted over to sit by Clint, practically pressing against him with a cheeky grin and bright eyes. Apparently, Clint was forgiven.

“How’s the farm?” Lavi asked, half-amused and half-curious.

“I’m not even sure if you’re teasing,” Clint said long-sufferingly, but he chuckled, and ruffled Lavi’s hair. “Either way, I missed you, you little brat.”

Lavi’s grin widened and turned real, and Natasha smiled to herself.

* * *

A few days after Clint’s arrival, Noise arrived.

It was summer, so the delay to the weekend wasn’t strictly necessary, but Pepper had sternly reminded Tony that it was polite to give people time to prepare, and that Tiedoll wouldn’t be able to come for another day or two afterward anyway.

Tony, of course, had given in.

Mack went to greet him first, and when he returned, he and Noise were already talking.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” Noise was saying, and Yuu snorted. He should’ve figured Noise would still be worried, long after Mack had escaped the infirmary. He’d picked it up from Tiedoll, Yuu was sure.

Another squeeze of wistfulness flashed through his mind, just the latest in a series that had plagued him for the past few days. Yuu hoped they went away soon. He didn’t have time for that kind of bullshit.

“Who do you think you are, Mom?” Mack demanded, smacking Noise on the shoulder. “Do I look like I’m dying to you?”

Noise shot him an amused look. “You never know,” he said dryly, bumping Mack back with a light smile. “I’m sure you’d hide it right up to the last minute if it was up to you.”

“Hell no,” Mack said, but before he could expand on that, Noise spotted the others and abandoned him in favor of going over and waving.

“Hey!” he said with a small grin. Not for the first time, Yuu thought that Noise seemed a lot more lighthearted now – whether it was his current age or the lack of pressure, Yuu wasn’t sure, but he was kind of glad, anyway. “Long time no see.”

“Hn,” Yuu answered, glancing over Noise. He looked fine. “Everything okay?”

Noise chuckled while Mack followed at a slower pace, settling a ways away. “As good as ever. I’ve been practicing with my Innocence – music, mostly, but I’d like to get back into the habit of using it as a weapon as well. I haven’t been so comfortable without it, these past few years-”

What with all the new threats. Yuu nodded to himself silently, followed by Lenalee, who glanced down at her ankles thoughtfully. Yuu almost snorted. Lenalee would have to wait. She wasn’t strong enough yet.

She probably wouldn’t, though.

“What about you an’ Miranda?” Allen interrupted, leaning forward. Mack had glanced down at Noise’s wrists at the mention, and while Allen wasn’t _concerned,_ exactly, mentions of Innocence seemed to stress most of the agents out, and this was meant to be a happy visit.

Happier than Cross’ had been, anyway. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Noise’s eyes lit up, to no one’s surprise, though it was subtle for the most part. “We’ve been calling almost every day,” Noise said warmly. “We can’t meet up very often, but all the same it’s a relief to be able to talk to her again-”

* * *

When Tiedoll arrived, Noise, Yuu, Mack, and Bucky were playing Sorry in the senior agent common area.

Mack and Noise were arguing about a move Noise had just made, knocking one of Mack’s pieces back to Start, while Yuu smirked quietly and Bucky silently laughed at all of them, sitting pretty with half his pieces already in Home.

Yuu heard the door click open and glanced up, and then froze.

Tiedoll was standing in the doorway, with a bag slung over his shoulder and Coulson just a step behind. Beside him, Noise inhaled sharply. Tiedoll’s eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open, and he didn’t seem to be breathing.

Yuu wasn’t sure _he_ was, either. Tiedoll looked much younger than he remembered – of course he did – and even had a few streaks of brown still in his hair, with not as many lines in his face. Like Cross, he already had the bands of his activated Innocence around his wrists, and distantly, Yuu wondered when and why Tiedoll had activated.

Finally, a big, broad, beaming smile stretched across Tiedoll’s face, and his eyes shone like he was going to cry. He made as if to speak, but cut himself off and instead spread his arms, gesturing briefly.

“Boys,” Tiedoll said, voice thick but warm. “Come here.”

Yuu stole a glance at Noise, eyes wide, but Noise wasn’t looking at him. He was looking at Tiedoll, and he was smiling, looking almost as happy as Tiedoll. In half a moment, he’d stood up and started toward Tiedoll; on the way, he snagged Yuu’s wrist as if he thought he wouldn’t come otherwise, and Yuu went along willingly, stumbling slightly.

Tiedoll laughed – not amused, but relieved and happy, as if he hadn’t quite believed before that this was happening. He dropped to one knee, and Noise followed just a moment after he reached the man, leaning into the offered hug with a laugh or a sigh, Yuu wasn’t sure. Yuu, too short for that, let himself be pulled in while Tiedoll clutched both of them close like he thought they’d disappear.

Yuu wasn’t one for hugs, generally, but he supposed you could get used to anything with exposure.

He reached out and twisted one hand into the material of Tiedoll’s shirt, and felt Tiedoll squeeze a little tighter.

The hug was probably one of the longest Yuu had ever been a part of. Eventually, he huffed against Tiedoll’s arm and squirmed. In unison, Noise and Tiedoll both released him, and Yuu stepped back, rubbing his palm against his burning cheek and keeping his eyes on the ground.

When he looked back up, Noise and Tiedoll had separated as well. Noise was smiling warmly, straightening up, but Tiedoll hadn’t gotten that far yet; he seemed to be caught between laughing and crying, still smiling even though his cheeks were wet with tears.

“It’s so wonderful to see you both,” Tiedoll said sincerely, reaching up to wipe at his eyes. “I’ve missed you so, so much.” It was Noise’s eyes he met when he added, “And you look so _well.”_

Yuu crossed his arms and glanced away again, cheeks burning harder than ever.

“It’s good to see you too, Master,” Noise said, quieter and steadier than either of them. Yuu glanced over in time to see him squeeze Tiedoll’s elbow, smile softening slightly. With a lilt of amusement, he added, “It’s been a while.”

Tiedoll laughed again, short and quick, and finally stood up. Yuu scowled up at both of them, and Tiedoll grinned and bent back down. Yuu didn’t resist as Tiedoll lifted him, feeling gangling and awkward – he was getting too big for this, he realized with undue surprise – but at least not over a foot shorter than the other two.

“You look so cute as a child, Yuu,” Tiedoll teased gently, smiling at Yuu. Yuu growled and reached over to pinch Tiedoll’s ear, but Tiedoll only laughed. “And as disagreeable as always, I see!”

Yuu huffed. “And you’re still a sentimental idiot,” he muttered, relaxing a little.

“And Noise!” Tiedoll turned his smile back to Noise, whose arms were folded behind his back, smile fond and patient. “I spoke to Yuu over the phone before, but you and I really must catch up. As soon as possible, you understand? I’m dying to know what you’ve been up to.” His gaze flicked down to Noise’s wrists, and for a second, they gleamed with concern, but in another moment it was gone and he was smiling at Noise again.

“Of course, Master,” Noise agreed immediately, gaze briefly searching Tiedoll’s. After a beat, he echoed, “As soon as possible.”

Tiedoll’s smile warmed and softened, and he reached up to curve one hand lightly around the side of Noise’s head, right by his eyes. Noise went still, his smile fading slightly, but didn’t look away. One hand lifted to Tiedoll’s wrist, but he didn’t push his hand away.

“It’s good to see you whole again,” he added, quiet and gentle, and removed his hand on his own.

Of course. Tiedoll had been teaching Noise since before he went blind.

Finally, Tiedoll turned toward the room’s other two occupants, assessing them with a swift glance that few people could catch. Bucky did; his eyebrows rose slightly, and Yuu pushed down a smile.

Mack was studying all of them as well, gaze sharp but mostly unconcerned, with his posture still relaxed. Bucky’s mirrored it, with a thread of thoughtfulness as he glanced from Yuu to Tiedoll and back to Yuu, considering.

“Hello,” Tiedoll greeted at last, a hint of embarrassment in his tone as he moved forward. With one hand, he continued supporting Yuu, and held out the other to the two in front of him. “My name is Froi, but you may know me as Tiedoll.” He smiled disarmingly. “I taught Noise and Yuu when they arrived at the Order.”

Mack stood up first, taking it and shaking it firmly.

“Alphonso Mackenzie,” he returned easily. “Call me Mack, though. I’m this idiot’s brother.” He tilted his head toward Noise, who rolled his eyes with a snort but smiled anyway. Mack’s eyes turned a little more serious as he added, “I work for SHIELD – I assume you’re familiar?”

Tiedoll’s smile turned wry. “Somewhat.”

Mack snorted. “Figures. Anyway, SHIELD’s been keeping track of known exorcists since Lenalee was discovered, so we’re probably your best bet on finding ‘em.”

Tiedoll visibly considered this, eyes just a shade or two darker, and Yuu half-tensed, glancing over when he felt Noise do the same beside him. Tiedoll seemed to discard whatever thoughts he was having, though, at least until a later date, and he smiled again with a shallow, easy nod.

“Daisya and Chaoji?” he asked, a hint of hope in his tone, and Yuu half-grimaced. Mack shook his head, and Tiedoll deflated slightly, smile becoming rueful. “Ah… I see.” He shook his head. “Well- Never mind that for now.” Tiedoll glanced at Noise, who was looking at him expectantly, and half-laughed, returning his gaze to Mack as the man ticked up an eyebrow, amusement creeping back into his face. “It’s very good to meet you, Agent Mackenzie.”

Mack relaxed slightly and reminded Tiedoll, “Mack.” He nodded at Bucky and added, “And I think this guy might blow up if he has to wait much longer. Noise, you ready to get your ass kicked, or are you attached at the damn hip now?”

“I think you’re taking this game way too seriously,” Noise offered, a laugh in his voice as he shot Tiedoll a smile and left him in favor of the stalled game.

“Board games are always serious,” Mack countered, a smirk twitching at his lips, and Noise laughed.

Yuu lifted his gaze to Bucky and studied him for a long moment, frowning to himself.

Bucky’s face wasn’t the most expressive, far from it, but Yuu had a lot of practice with the stupid beansprout, and had spent more than enough time around Bucky himself. Right now, he was cycling subtly between interest, worry, and wistfulness. What?

Yuu scowled slightly. Stupid bear.

He kneed Tiedoll halfheartedly in the stomach, and Tiedoll let out an ‘uff’ of surprise before he chuckled, and crouched down so he could let Yuu down without dropping him. Yuu set his feet on the ground and, satisfied, snatched Tiedoll’s hand and dragged him to Bucky before he dropped it, scooting over closer to Bucky now. Bucky brushed the fingers of his mechanical hand briefly across Yuu’s shoulders before leaving him alone and lifting his gaze to Tiedoll, who placed himself beside him, just far enough away.

“Hello, Mr. Barnes,” Tiedoll said with a small smile, holding out his hand like a peace offering. “It’s an honor to meet you.” A flicker of amusement crossed his face. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Bucky considered him for a long moment, and Yuu tensed involuntarily, anxiety tightening his chest.

“Call me Bucky,” he said at last, and shook Tiedoll’s hand. Yuu let out a breath and smiled, slight and subtle.

Tiedoll looked pleased as well. “Bucky, then,” he agreed warmly.

* * *

After Yuu went to sleep, Bucky tucked him in and returned downstairs on a whim.

Sure enough, Tiedoll, staying with the Avengers for the moment, was still downstairs. He was sketching, with a look of concentration that was more than familiar to Bucky. Steve looked just the same when he was focused.

Tiedoll looked up as he approached, and smiled slightly in greeting. Bucky nodded at him in return and went to sit beside him, earning a lingering look. Tiedoll closed his sketchbook and considered him for a moment.

“Yuu is very fond of you,” Tiedoll offered after a moment, looking at him curiously. He tilted his head towards Bucky in a small gesture of respect, smile not wavering. “I’m glad. It’s not easy to earn that boy’s affection.”

And hell if Bucky knew how he’d done it. He shrugged noncommittally, impassive eyes on the younger man.

He and Tiedoll hadn’t talked much, at least not seriously. After introductions, Tiedoll had stuck around for the game, but there had been mostly small talk and light conversation, and that wasn’t where Bucky wanted to keep things.

“You’re much different than I expected,” was what Bucky settled on after a while, allowing a flicker of a smile to cross his face. “When Steve and Natasha met Cross, it didn’t go nearly this well.”

Clear exasperation flooded Tiedoll’s expression, and that solid crack in his kind veneer did more to reassure Bucky than anything so far. He almost laughed.

“You’ve tracked down that elusive miscreant, then?” Tiedoll asked, dry and rueful. “I’m surprised; he’s usually much more careful than that.”

Bucky snorted. He could only imagine what had earned that kind of reaction. “We found a family member. When he heard Allen was here, he came right over, and _then_ he proceeded to turn the whole place on its head for the entire time he was here. Steve was nearly tearing his hair out halfway through.”

“That sounds like him,” Tiedoll sighed, an honest, tired smile appearing briefly on his face. “I suppose I’m glad he’s alright, even if he is the definition of irresponsibility.”

They both brooded for a moment over Cross’ machinations.

Finally, Tiedoll sat up, and Bucky raised an eyebrow.

“How has Yuu been doing?” Tiedoll asked him, looking suddenly intent. “Really.”

Bucky blinked, and then considered for a moment.

“I don’t remember his early years that well,” he said at last, speaking plainly. “But all things considered-” He raised an eyebrow at Tiedoll in silent question, and Tiedoll’s lips thinned, anger flashing across his expression before it cleared away forcefully. Bucky nodded. “He’s doing pretty well for himself. He started improving faster once he was with his friends, but something came up pretty recently that set him back a bit. Alma?”

Tiedoll inhaled sharply, and Bucky watched him tense with a thousand held-back questions. Finally, Tiedoll let out a long breath and forced himself to relax.

“Poor boy,” Tiedoll murmured, and Bucky had no idea which one he was talking about. “Did you find him?”

Bucky considered. “In a manner of speaking.” Tiedoll shot him a sharp, unamused look, and Bucky sighed. “He’s with HYDRA, in the same manner Yuu was but far further along in the process. We don’t have a way of finding him-” God knows they were trying. “-but the moment we hear word, we’ll do everything we can to get him out.”

Tiedoll sighed. “The best anyone can do,” he murmured, and gave Bucky a small nod of acknowledgement. “How did Yuu cope?”

“As well as we can expect,” Bucky shrugged, hiding a grimace. “Finding you cheered him up, I think.”

Tiedoll smiled, quick and soft. “I’m glad I could help,” he chuckled quietly.

Bucky smiled as well, briefly, and thought that it was clear that Tiedoll cared for Yuu – that he had for a long time. Tiedoll had known Yuu- actually, a little longer than Bucky had, and most certainly further back. He’d known him _before._

“Clint mentioned that you’d been drawing the kids for a long time,” Bucky said suddenly, following the train of thought.

Tiedoll sat up a little, a spark of curiosity appearing again. “Yes,” he affirmed, a lilt of question in his tone. “Since the beginning. Why- ah.” His expression cleared, and he smiled and reached for his sketchbook. “Would you like to see?”

Bucky hesitated.

In a way, it felt like cheating – a sneak peek most parents would never get, or maybe a violation of privacy. But Tiedoll looked unbothered, just expectant and obliging, and Bucky nodded.

Tiedoll smiled at him in understanding, and then looked down, opened his sketchbook, flipped through it for a few moments, and then, finally, set it between them. Bucky looked down.

Bucky’s first thought was that Tiedoll was a very good artist. Not quite as good as Steve, who could probably make his drawings step off the page and talk to you if he wanted, but still very good.

It was Yuu. Much older and far more mature – a man, at around twenty years old – but it would be a cold day in hell before Bucky failed to recognize him, malicious HYDRA codes and all.

The drawing had no background, but it was easy to understand what was happening nonetheless. Yuu’s body was set in a fluid battle stance, with one hand held as if in a guard and the other holding a long, slim katana with easy familiarity.

Yuu had mentioned the name of his Innocence, once. Mugen. Bucky remembered.

Yuu’s eyes were narrowed in focus, a look of calm concentration dominating his expression, almost like when the boy meditated. It was this expression that told Bucky that Yuu wasn’t in battle; he was practicing, and he seemed to enjoy it.

The corner of Bucky’s mouth tilted up in a slight smile, and he glanced up at Tiedoll in silent question. Tiedoll returned the smile twofold and nodded, and Bucky turned the page.

Almost all of the pictures in the sketchbook seemed to be of exorcists; Bucky would guess that this sketchbook was specifically for that purpose, since even Steve’s sketchbook was never this single-minded.

There were drawings of all the kids in there, over and over. Bucky recognized Lenalee, flying with an unexpectedly intense expression on her face, and Allen, with fire in his eyes in the most passionate expression he’d seen on anyone but Steve. There was Lavi, poring over books, and again trapping Lenalee with a scarf.

Some of them were of battles, and Bucky made sure not to linger over those – glimpses of Yuu slicing effortlessly through monsters of various shapes, Noise wielding long wires with unrestrained confidence, Lenalee with hatred in her eyes and Allen looking just as earnest and determined as Bucky would have guessed. (Just one, with a particularly young Yuu crumpled on the ground and trying to rub the dark substance off of him.)

Most of the pictures, though, were of Tiedoll’s apprentices – at least, Bucky assumed so. He recognized Yuu and Noise, but there were a few others, and Bucky made an effort not to wonder about them.

He saw Yuu engaged in the same meditative practices he used now, and bickering with Allen, and eating alone at a table. Some of him chasing Lavi with his sword, or getting his hair pulled by Lenalee, or glaring for no reason. These were the pictures Bucky lingered over most, silently adding to his picture of Yuu’s life before, and always, always drawing parallels to things he’d seen himself – that one argument Yuu had had with Lenalee where they both pulled each other’s hair, and Allen and Yuu wrestling, himself putting Yuu in time-out for hitting Lavi-

When he reached the end, he flipped back to the beginning and looked over the ones he’d missed the first time, a mixture of wistfulness and wishfulness mixing together in his chest.

Tiedoll waited quietly, eventually busying himself in the kitchen and returning shortly after with a cup of tea. Frequently, though, he would give Bucky long, considering looks, and Bucky couldn’t bring himself to return them. Not just yet, anyway.

He wasn’t sure how late it was when he finally finished, and he probably didn’t want to know, but he closed the sketchbook, feeling wrung out and half in another time, and then put it on the table, and looked at Tiedoll.

Tiedoll quirked an eyebrow at him silently, and Bucky sighed.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. Nothing more and nothing less, but Tiedoll smiled.

“You’re welcome.”


	73. Chapter 73

As a child, Noise had never been afraid of the dark. He’d never asked for a nightlight or worried about walking at night. Sometimes he would walk into unlit rooms, and forget to turn the lights on.

His family had thought it was strange – not alarming, just funny.

No, his comfort with darkness wasn’t worrying. Neither was his impeccable situational awareness, or his preoccupation with rings.

His nightmares, those were worrying. His moods – quiet, depressive, and restless by turns – were worrying. And his distance from the other children his age.

His family adapted without undue concern. His father prodded him through the first few years of school, and his brothers teased and fought with him in the meantime. Noise adapted as well; he learned mechanics from Al, helped keep his brothers (and sometimes his father) out of trouble, and occasionally tattled to their mother when he thought it would be more helpful.

In some ways, Noise got better over time. The nightmares faded. He relearned how to interact with children, on a level that was both equal and different. His moods didn’t stabilize, but he could work through those, and he did.

Strangely enough, it wasn’t until he was eight that he began to wonder if he had imagined it all.

He had been so certain, as a child. He had the marks of a crystal type. He had the memories, the maturity. He could even recall the day he opened his eyes and saw again, the first words his mother said to him when he was born.

But children had vivid imaginations; adults loved to talk about it. And the world kept moving around him, with no evidence that any of it had ever happened, that Japan had ever been destroyed or that the Black Order had ever existed.

When Al – Al who had always been protective, had always been able to discern Noise’s mood with a glance, Al with the top-secret job – had come home, and asked about reincarnation, asked about _Noise Marie-_

Noise hadn’t even thought to worry, at first. He had cried, and Al had needed no further confirmation.

Noise would never regret that Al had been the first to learn what Noise had never dared to say.

After that, Noise had started to reunite with old friends, pieces of his past. Each one was another tie to reality, grounding him in the present.

Lenalee, a friend, a brave little girl and a braver woman. Loyalty given form, he sometimes thought.

Yuu, his brother in all but name and blood, stubborn and stupid and Noise thanked _God_ that he was okay.

Miranda, the love of both his lives, the gentle angel he’d stayed loyal to even when he wondered if she was just a dream.

And now there was Tiedoll – his teacher, his general. The one man who had always believed in Noise, the man Noise, to this day, trusted above all others.

It had been a long time since Noise had felt so comfortable in his own skin.

A touch on his arm called Noise’s attention to the man beside him. Tiedoll’s brow was furrowed. His touch lingered.

“Is everything alright, Noise?” Tiedoll asked quietly.

Noise gave Tiedoll a small grin.

“Just fine, Master,” he promised.

Tiedoll gave him a warm smile in return, and took his hand away. Yuu made a noise, and both of them shared a silent laugh and returned their attention to the previous conversation.

They were in the Avengers commons, along for the moment, with Yuu and Noise on either side of Tiedoll. Noise thought that the man still needed the reassurance.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” he asked, glancing at Tiedoll.

Tiedoll chuckled softly. “I asked if your Innocence still worked as you remembered it. Mind is somewhat weaker, I believe, perhaps from lack of practice, but also much more responsive.”

Noise considered for a moment.

“It works fine,” he said at last. “As you said, a little weaker, a little more responsive.” He smiled a little and shrugged. “I don’t think my body could handle its full strength right now, anyway.”

Tiedoll nodded, thoughtful, and then asked, “May I see?” Then, with a teasing, half-wistful smile, he added, “For old time’s sake.”

Noise gave him a smile in return, and on Tiedoll’s other side, he saw Yuu peek around Tiedoll, eyes wide with expectation. Though the boy would rather die than admit it, Noise knew he loved to hear Noise play.

A breath, and thought, and Noise called Noel Organon into existence.

It had hurt, the first time, unexpectedly – a sting that, naturally, hadn’t left him since. And it had been, it _was,_ tiring. But this Noel Organon – it was a part of him. Easy to direct, to aim and manipulate. In a forest near to home, away from SHIELD, Noise had experimented to his heart’s content. Sometimes he’d trained, trick shots and endurance and accuracy.

But. He hadn’t played yet.

He lifted his hand and turned it downward, and Noel Organon’s threads sank into the ground.

When he looked up, searching, Tiedoll was smiling at him, looking near to tears again. Yuu, careless of his dignity, had crawled half onto Tiedoll’s lap to lean nearer to Noise, waiting impatiently.

Noise hesitated.

In the past, most of his music had been dark in tone. Songs of fear, or mourning. They had lightened over time, but only into songs of bravery, persistence, endurance. Songs that said ‘today, we are alive’ and ‘we will see tomorrow.’

None of those felt appropriate now.

Noise closed his eyes and ghosted his fingers over the cords, considered and reconsidered, and then began to play.

It was a happy song – a song of triumph. He thought, _we are together again._ He thought, _we can do anything we want,_ and _we are free._

Noel Organon, to his satisfaction, responded beautifully.

When he finished, a swift eternity later, he opened his eyes again. Tiedoll had lifted his hand to cover his mouth, and he was crying again. Yuu’s gaze had dropped; he looked thoughtful.

Noise smiled.

“It works fine,” he repeated.

“So it does,” Tiedoll agreed, voice thick. After a moment, the former general collected himself, wiped his eyes, and smiled. “That was… _beautiful,_ Noise.”

“Thank you,” Noise said, with a wistful smile.

A few minutes passed in silence, and finally, Yuu tilted his head slightly, towards Noise, with his face turned away. Without looking, he said, “I missed that.”

Noise’s smile widened a little, his eyes warming. Yuu must be about to self-destruct, with all the sentimentality of the last few days.

As if thinking the same thing, Yuu abruptly pushed himself up and stared belligerently at Tiedoll, who smiled back and tipped his eyebrows up in question.

“What about yours?” Yuu asked, almost accusingly. His eyes flickered down to Tiedoll’s wrists, to the open stigmata and the crimson bracelets.

“Ah.” Tiedoll’s gaze moved, slowly wandering the upper corners of the room, and finally landed back on Yuu, who was frowning at him.

After a moment, though, Yuu’s gaze sharpened noticeably, and he bumped Tiedoll’s shoulder roughly with his own, then looked up at one corner of the room, and then another, and then back to Tiedoll.

Tiedoll nodded, and Noise felt his smile fade.

He trusted his brother. That did not mean he trusted the rest of SHIELD, and one person – or two, three, more people – could only do so much.

And four of the youngest of them were here, still at their most vulnerable. It worried him.

“I activated fairly recently, as it happens.” Tiedoll lifted his hands, his easy smile back in place. “I haven’t spent much time getting back into form, either.”

Tiedoll did not speak hi Innocence’s name as he summoned it; Noise had known he didn’t need to, of course, but he usually did anyway.

The staff of Maker of Eden formed in his hands, and Yuu reached forward and ran his hand over it. He also shot Tiedoll a frown, likely noticing the same thing Noise had, but Tiedoll’s expression gave nothing away.

“It looks the same,” Yuu said at last, taking his hand away and sitting back on his heels. Perhaps subconsciously, his right hand drifted to his left, thumbing the closed stigmata on his arm while he kept his gaze on the staff.

Noise frowned, gaze lingering on Yuu. For a long time, Noise had felt chained by his Innocence, and he knew Yuu had felt the same. Though the feeling had faded, even now, the Innocence was at best a mixed blessing; metahumans were not welcome here.

Noise, who knew Yuu better than most, suspected that he wasn’t thinking of that at all. More likely, he was wishing for the power to protect his friends – something it seemed he desperately needed. Even without the Noah or the Black Order, things were far from easy.

“Lenalee activated early,” Noise said at last, reassuring. Yuu tilted his head slightly, and he continued, “And so did Miranda and I. With luck, you will too.”

Yuu nodded, looking neither reassured nor doubtful.

Tiedoll cleared his throat, and the two boys looked back at him. His Innocence dissolved in his hands, and he folded them afterward, looking serious. Noise straightened up subconsciously in response.

“I believe the Innocence activates as needed,” Tiedoll offered, with a glance at Noise, who frowned slightly and then nodded his agreement. “I activated late, myself.”

That caught Noise’s attention; the tug of curiosity could not be denied. “What made you activate?”

Tiedoll grimaced.

“A HYDRA team was deployed to my sister’s home,” he explained, voice pitched low. “About five years ago now. It’s quite fortunate that I was visiting at the time.”

His tone was grim, matching his expression. Yuu inhaled quickly, and Noise frowned. Five years ago, that was-

Tiedoll shook his head.

“It all ended just fine,” he reassured. “Only Clint ever even learned what happened.” He chuckled quietly. “I was quite confused at the time; I’d had no idea who they were, or why they’d come.”

“All secrets come out in the end,” Noise murmured. With a slight twist of his wrist, he finally deactivated his Innocence and glanced at Yuu.

Yuu was scowling.

“Then why haven’t I activated yet?” he demanded, sounding frustrated.

Tiedoll winced, and a moment later, Noise did as well.

It was hardly difficult to realize that Yuu was in a much higher-risk environment than either of them, but it didn’t make it any less worrying.

“I suspect,” Tiedoll answered, slowly, “that you need to be under levels of stress comparable to an ordinary activation.”

Yuu’s face went abruptly blank, and Noise closed his eyes for a moment, taking a breath.

“Most likely,” he agreed. His activation here had been about as stressful as his first, though with far less grief. Then, “At least you’ll get it when you need it, Yuu.”

Yuu scowled again. “I need it _now!”_ he snapped, voice pitched higher, and then he crossed his arms and looked away. Lower, almost petulant, “It better activate soon.”

Yes, well. Noise was kind of surprised it hadn’t activated already.

“I’m sure it will,” Tiedoll agreed, with complete certainty. He smiled softly at Yuu’s startled look. “But enough of this; it’s far too heavy. Yuu, I understand you’ll be starting school soon-”

* * *

“You’ll want to take the kids to visit the classroom ahead of time,” Clint rambled, dredging up everything he remembered from his kids’ first days. He and Laura had spent truly absurd amounts of time seeking out advice, but damned if he didn’t feel like it had all fallen out of his ears. “Meet the teacher, look around, and all that.”

It was weird, to have Pepper, Tony, and Bucky all actually paying attention to him. Especially the first two, if he was honest – Pepper always seemed so frighteningly competent at all things, like Natasha but with regular adulting, and Tony never listened to _anybody._

He wasn’t used to being the competent adult in the room. He decided he liked it and suppressed a smirk with effort.

“Shop for school supplies early,” he added, jumping to a different topic entirely as his mind wandered. “The crowds are hell if you wait too long.”

Bucky grimaced and nodded.

“Yuu would hate that,” he commented, with a sideways glance at Pepper, who inclined her head slightly, taking note. She’d probably end up scheduling it, then. Tony was an _awful_ procrastinator.

“Take all the kids,” Clint said thoughtfully, glancing at the door. “It’ll get the others used to the idea, too. Make things easier later on.”

“We would have anyway,” Tony dismissed, but he glanced upward. Clint supposed that FRIDAY was taking notes. “Pepper said Lavi was worried about friends, what about that?”

Clint raised an eyebrow at the full force of Tony’s attention and bit down a smirk. Fuck if parenting wasn’t good for Tony – he wouldn’t have expected it, but the man _could_ be responsible.

“He’s a friendly kid, he shouldn’t have problems,” he shrugged. “He can even help Yuu, probably.”

Tony and Bucky made identical sounds of doubt. Clint rolled his eyes.

 _“Every_ kid stresses about making friends,” he said pointedly. “It’s part of being a kid. If he starts to actually have trouble, talk to him about it then. You’re some kind of genius, you can figure something out.”

Tony muttered something about ‘hindrance not help’ but didn’t speak up, so Clint decided to ignore it.

“You might want to get some books too,” he continued, thinking back again. “Kids books, you know, about starting school, helps them understand-” What was with those faces? He reviewed his suggestion. “Dammit.”

He scowled and decided he was glad he didn’t have to deal with any of this bullshit.

Tony and Bucky were both smirking at him, and Pepper was hiding a smile.

“You really should have stayed around better,” Pepper said wistfully. “I know you’ve been keeping in contact with Natasha, Clint, but you’ve missed so much.”

Clint couldn’t decide whether to grimace or to scowl.

“I know,” he allowed after a moment, leaning back a little with his arms crossed. He tipped his head to one side, studying Pepper with a slight frown. “But you know why I couldn’t, right? The superhero gig is cool, but it’s not real good for family stuff. And I wanted to be a good dad.” He didn’t look at Tony; he had that much propriety.

Pepper’s expression dimmed, tinged with sadness. “No,” she agreed quietly. She and Tony had argued about his heroics many times, but it had been resolved before Lavi’s birth.

Clint hoped he wasn’t accidentally fucking that up. “You guys didn’t have much choice,” he allowed after a moment, in the interest of not being an accidental ass. Distractedly, he picked up a pen, spinning it in his fingers to avoid their gazes. “Tony’s kid would’ve been a target no matter what, even if he dropped the Iron Man thing, and Yuu, well.” Fuck that kid’s life, frankly. He almost smirked, dry and mirthless.

Tony snorted. It was bitter. “Yeah,” he agreed. “But you do whatever you think’s best.” Clint almost raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Tony shrugged. “Superheroing isn’t exactly the sort of life you take up for no good reason. Raise your family, you bird-brained hillbilly. There are more than enough of us here to hold down the fort.”

Clint rolled his eyes and tipped his head back. “Like I needed your permission,” he tossed out, relaxing slightly. “And why are we even talking about this? This was supposed to be about school. You guys are worse than my three year old. And mine’s an _actual_ three year old.”

Pepper’s eyes glimmered with amusement. “I’ve been saying it for years,” she said mildly, with a sideways glance at Tony, who protested immediately.

“I haven’t been that bad in _years,_ Pep, why you gotta be like this-”

* * *

Tiedoll tracked them down in the morning, while Allen was playing with Lenalee and Lavi, under Melinda’s supervision for the moment. They were sitting at the kitchen table, but both of them turned to look when he approached.

Tiedoll gave them a disarming smile that was swiftly becoming familiar and offered, “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Steve offered in return, tilting his head in acknowledgement. He gave Tiedoll a small smile of his own and asked, “What can we do for you?”

“I was speaking to Clint earlier,” Tiedoll explained, and Natasha glanced down at the sketchbook tucked under his arm, “and he asked me to show the two of you the drawings I’ve made of some of the children.” He chuckled quietly. “I’ve done quite a few over the years.”

Natasha’s gaze lingered, and she didn’t bother denying that she wanted to see – not just how Allen had looked, several years older, but his facial expressions, what condition he seemed to be in. It would be just a handful of glimpses, but she never turned down intel.

“That would be…” Steve looked momentarily stunned, and then he gave Tiedoll a small smile. “I think we’d both like that. Natasha?”

She nodded slightly, eyes going back to Tiedoll. “Of course,” she agreed, leaning against the table lightly. “Now?”

Tiedoll smiled, hummed his agreement, and moved to sit by Natasha, across from Steve.

“I didn’t know Allen as well as I knew Yuu and Noise, of course,” Tiedoll said, with a veil of absence, apparently focused on flicking through the sketchbook. “Or even Lenalee, to be quite honest. But really, that doesn’t mean much.” His eyes flicked up to them, he smiled, and then chose a page and slid the sketchbook to them.

Natasha glanced at Steve first. There was a familiar intensity to his expression, all of his focus on the sketchbook in front of him. It was slowly being overtaken by something else – wistfulness and pride.

Natasha looked down.

“He looks like you,” she said to Steve, without looking away.

She could hear Steve’s smile. “He’s passionate.”

She’d guess Allen was fourteen or fifteen, maybe a little older if his appearance had skewed young, as he’d implied before. He was in a uniform she didn’t recognize – the Black Order uniform, she supposed, taking note of the crest on his chest, rendered carefully in sharp lines. But her gaze was lingering on his face, on his eyes.

He didn’t look scared, or reluctant, or vulnerable. He looked like a crane couldn’t move him if he didn’t let it.

Whatever else had happened before, she thought, at least he’d had something to believe in.

At times, a reason to fight could be more valuable than any form of safety.

“Were you thinking of anything in particular?” Steve asked Tiedoll, reluctantly looking away to meet the man’s eyes. “When you drew this?”

Tiedoll hummed and thought for a moment, and then smiled faintly. “He looks like this often,” he said quietly, “but I was thinking of when he defended Yuu against the Vatican.”

Steve smiled again, at least twice as much pride folding into the expression. He thought he’d seen the look too, once or twice or more. “He fights for others,” he said. “For his friends.”

“Always,” Tiedoll murmured, even though it wasn’t really a question.

Natasha heard Steve exhale, with too much emotion in the sound to easily parse, and look back down. She turned the page and studied the next picture.

She didn’t recognize the next one, a boy with marks around his eyes, kicking a soccer ball. She glanced briefly up at Tiedoll, whose eyes had dimmed slightly, and assumed that this was a student of his, yet unrecovered. She turned the page.

This one was of Lavi and Lenalee, together. She was briefly startled by the Lavi’s eye patch before she recalled that he’d mentioned it before. He had both hands, still, and was using them to trap Lenalee with a scarf, while she wrapped her hands around it in apparent resistance. Both of them were laughing.

Steve was definitely smiling now, light and fond. “Lavi’s always been a little mischief maker,” he commented with a glance at Natasha, who smirked.

“Good thing Lenalee is there to help Pepper keep him well in hand,” she returned, amused, and Steve grinned faintly and nodded.

He turned the page.

They went through the book like that, lingering over each new image. Sometimes Steve or Natasha would have a question for Tiedoll, and sometimes they’d just move on.

Looking through, Natasha wondered how much of this was the past, and how much would become the future. They had changed, but perhaps not too much. After all, they were still friends, and they were still themselves, and quite honestly that was the most important thing about most of these pictures.

If anything, she was surprised at how little she learned. She’d known already, that Yuu liked to garden, that Lavi loved to read. She’d known Allen was happiest with his friends, and that Lenalee had sorely missed flying. She’d known that Allen had a thousand different smiles, and that every one of them was gentle and kind.

Steve paused again, over a drawing of Allen in a crouch, right hand bracing lightly on the ground and a cloak so light Tiedoll had scarcely shaded it half-wrapped around him, with that same intent look in his eyes. His left hand, which he so determinedly hid around strangers, was in an unfamiliar form; long, thin claws extended out from his hand, spread in a clearly threatening manner. An ornate mask peeked over his shoulder.

Steve’s gaze had saddened slightly. Natasha’s feelings were more mixed.

“This kept him safe?” Steve asked.

“It kept others safe,” Tiedoll demurred, not looking.

Steve exhaled, and a grimace flickered across his face, but it left quickly.

“He probably would have thrown himself in, with or without it,” he murmured, shaking his head slightly, and Natasha almost smiled.

“He wasn’t as sickly as you were, when you did the same,” she teased lightly. Steve relaxed, chuckling quietly.

“No, I bet he wasn’t.”

And he turned the page again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to janazza, who wrote an alternate interpretation of the big reunion scene ft. Noise + Yuu, and spurred me to focus on Noise for a bit!


	74. Chapter 74

“That’s a little after we got back from the Ark,” Lenalee explained to Melinda. “See, my hair is all short, and I’m leaning on Yuu.”

Lenalee was tucked against Melinda’s side, looking at the sketchbook with her, while Melinda’s head was tilted slightly to listen to Lenalee. The current page showed Lenalee smiling up at Yuu, who was frowning back. As Lenalee had mentioned, Lenalee was leaning slightly on Yuu, and they seemed comfortable. Melinda would guess they were in their late teens.

Lenalee also appeared to have an assortment of fresh, faintly-colored burns across her face, but Melinda made the executive decision not to point that out one way or another, though her eyes narrowed. She _knew_ some of those had left scars, because she’d been suspicious of them earlier.

“What happened?” Melinda asked without looking.

Tiedoll, she knew, was in the room as well; he was keeping to himself, so it would almost be easy to forget, but she didn’t trust his mild manner. No one got into any position of power simply by being mild-mannered.

And Melinda had a few guesses as to what it took to activate an Innocence, no matter that she was leaving the bulk of it to the scientists.

Lenalee hummed thoughtfully, barely putting a moment of thought into what to say before answering, “A lot of stuff – that was a really busy week. But what happened to _me_ was I fought a level three for the first time. I wasn’t as strong then as I was later, so it was really hard.”

“Level threes are the second most powerful, aren’t they?” Melinda prompted.

Lenalee nodded, chin just brushing Melinda’s shoulder. “This one could increase gravity, it was bad for me.” Since she could fly. Melinda’s lips thinned. “It almost sunk the ship we were on- me and Lavi and… some others.” A brief beat, and then, quieter, “Most of the people on that ship died, later. It was a bad fight.”

“Anyone you knew?” Melinda asked her, shifting slightly so Lenalee ducked under her arm instead of leaning over it.

A discontented sound, younger than Melinda had heard from Lenalee in a while outside of vegetable-eating and waking. “Anita and Mahoja,” Lenalee admitted, soft and high. “I really liked them, too.”

Melinda let the quiet stay for a few moments, and then turned the page. Lenalee never took more than a few seconds to mourn.

Lenalee giggled a little. “Allen and Yuu never could control themselves around each other,” she said fondly, distracted, and Melinda allowed herself a small smile.

With the images of Lenalee’s past laid before her, Melinda thought that it was actually a little easier to understand the girl tucked under her arm.

She suspected that the disconnect she felt, when looking at Lenalee and thinking of the girl in the pages, was the same that Lenalee herself did. It would explain more than anything else Melinda had ever thought of.

* * *

“Next Tuesday?” Tony offered, tapping his fingers restlessly on his knee.

“Pepper has a board meeting that day, boss,” FRIDAY informed him demurely, amusement resonating lightly through her tone.

“Bah, board meetings,” Tony snorted, rolling his eyes and leaning back in place.

“I’m not blowing off the board meeting, Tony,” Pepper said patiently.

“Next Wednesday?” Tony amended, waving Pepper’s smirk off with a grin to her.

 _“You_ have a meeting that day, boss.”

Now she was almost laughing. Tony grinned to himself. FRIDAY was coming along _brilliantly._

Tony threw up his arms dramatically, flopping back entirely as if exhausted. “Thursday! If there’s anything happening, reschedule it.” He rolled his head to look at Pepper, whose eyes were glittering fondly. “No one can complain about Thursday. Everyone likes Thursdays. It’s Thor’s day, and everyone likes Thor, so they must like Thursdays.”

“I think they prefer Fridays,” Pepper answered.

“Bah!”

For the first time, over the speakers, Tony heard something between a crackle, a crinkle, and a muffled, genderless laugh.

JARVIS had never laughed; his sense of humor was mostly dry, and while Tony had been able to hear it many times in his pauses, he’d never heard it come from his speakers. JARVIS had always preferred computerized expression of emotion over simulated human ones.

FRIDAY, of course, was different.

He nearly broke his face beaming, and Pepper sat up straight, mouth opening slightly in delighted surprise.

“Scheduled, boss,” FRIDAY affirmed, echoes of the sound lingering in her voice. “Thursday excursion for school supplies and socialization.”

“Atta girl,” Tony said without missing a beat, still grinning.

The moment was broken when a knock came on the door, and Tony twisted around to see who’d come in.

Tony hadn’t seen Froi around much; he’d actually talked to Clint more, both catching up and figuring out all the stuff to get Lavi and Yuu in school. Bucky, of course, had seen more of him, and Mack too, since Froi had been spending most of his time around Noise and Yuu. He _had_ seen that Yuu had calmed down surprisingly quickly after the tumult learning about his friend had brought.

But he _had_ heard some of the others talking about the pictures in his sketchbook. He’d put it out of his mind, because he just _knew_ that seeing Lavi with his eye patch and with his prosthetic hand would stress him out intensely.

He definitely wouldn’t say no, though.

Froi gave him a small, friendly smile, and Tony’s eyes flickered briefly down to the bands around his wrists before he returned it, wide and careless.

“Froi,” Pepper greeted before he could, beckoning the man over. “I haven’t seen you around much, but I hear you, Yuu, and Noise are getting along quite well.”

“We’ve known each other quite a long time,” Froi agreed, smiling slightly. He placed himself on Pepper’s side, a comfortable distance away, and sure enough, he had the sketchbook half-hidden under his arm. “I’ve missed them, and I daresay they’ve missed me as well, if not quite as much.”

“You seem like you’ve been good to them,” Pepper commented, thoughtful. “Do you have any kids of your own?” It remained unsaid that Yuu and Noise were not his.

“No,” Tiedoll admitted, shaking his head slightly. “Though perhaps someday.” At Pepper’s raised eyebrow, he chuckled lightly. “I’d like to, there’s no doubt about that, but then I would have to either explain my origins or leave them in the dark, and, well.” He smiled self-deprecatingly.

“And Nyne and Cross?” Tony asked, skipping past the dark subject with the ease of long practice. “I heard you were close to them."

Froi smiled, a hint of brightness coating the edge of it. “I’ve called them already; Nyne sounded almost relieved. Cross, of course, is impossible to get a hold of even here, but I left a message.” He laughed quietly. “I should get one back in a few weeks, I expect.”

“Cross brought a big ruckus with him when he came,” Pepper remarked.

“Of course,” Froi said ruefully. “How could he not? For a man as skilled with subtlety as he is, he certainly has trouble avoiding making waves.”

Tony tucked the comment away for later and snorted. “No kidding.” He lifted his eyes to level his gaze with Froi’s, and grinned again. “And I guess you don’t have the same skillset?”

Froi gave him a serene smile, like a man with no plans to steal all of SHIELD’s intelligence about the exorcists. Without answering the question, he said, “I expect you’ve already heard from your friends, about this.” He set his sketchbook on his lap.

Well. Tony had never pretended to care about the security of SHIELD’s intel, except where it concerned his own pride.

“Yep,” Tony agreed, and heard Pepper make a noise of agreement beside him.

Froi flipped it open and held it out, and Pepper took it and set it between them. Almost in unison, they looked down.

Lavi was wearing a scarf, thrown around his neck, and a headband that made his hair almost stand up; it was a mess. He was leaning against a pillar or maybe a wall, eyes crossed, and looking over his shoulder, as if watching. A black eye patch obscured one eye from view, though he had both hands still.

It was just as stressful as he’d expected, but Lavi’s eye almost glinted and he was grinning, and despite the way his heart clenched, Tony couldn’t stop himself from grinning, too.

With more certainty than he’d ever had before, he figured Lavi was gonna grow up _just fine._

* * *

Aside from the kids, Coulson reflected, Clint was the only one who ever hung around his office outside of official business.

Natasha would have been allowed to, of course, if she’d ever asked, and Melinda would as well. But they never did. Disregard for propriety was always Clint’s thing.

Coulson was taking a break from work – partially because the perpetual backlog of paperwork made even his eyes cross, and partially because it really _had_ been a very long time since he’d gotten to talk to Clint. Clint seemed worried that he’d try and recruit him back into SHIELD.

It was only a little absurd. While Coulson, of all people, understood how much Clint hated the idea of getting back into the business, he worked for the good of SHIELD and its cause now. If it ever became necessary- Well.

If he really needed Clint, Clint would come. He just wouldn’t be happy about it.

“So Coulson,” Clint started, sitting backwards straddling a chair, and Coulson braced himself for either an astute observation or a terrible joke. “This place looks an awful lot like a daycare now, doesn’t it?”

Sigh.

“Believe me, Clint, that joke has been made at least three times by everyone who works here,” Coulson sighed, refraining from rolling his eyes only through sheer professionalism.

“That’s what I get for picking the low-hanging fruit,” Clint admitted without missing a beat, tossing Coulson a light grin. It soon morphed slightly into a small frown. “But seriously, Coulson, what’s up with this? You used to have a thing against office babies in SHIELD, and I know you’d be able to figure out something else if you weren’t willing to have them around. What’s up?”

Coulson frowned. He wasn’t going to pretend not to know what was Clint was talking about, and Rosalind had made pointed comments herself on multiple occasions- Clint knew, of course, that it had been going on long enough that Coulson would have long since worked out every possible scenario he could think of, pros and cons and alternatives.

Finally, Coulson shrugged.

“There are… a few reasons,” he allowed at last, after a few moments of Clint staring at him – with the same look he gave his children, when they were holding out. Disconcerting. “The exorcists _do_ have the memories of adults, even if they’re often missing maturity and self-control. They can handle most of the things they’d see in SHIELD, unlike most children.” Unlike Clint’s. “Then there’s the whole diplomatic issue. I can’t even pick a lesser evil among the parents, you know. They’d all be terrible enemies to have.”

He half-smiled, and Clint ticked an eyebrow up at him. Coulson _did_ roll his eyes this time. He was not one of Clint’s children. Then, for a while, he considered.

“They’re holding out on us,” Coulson said at last, frowning slightly as he tapped the back end of his pen on the desk. “SHIELD _needs_ to keep its morals strict, this time around – we’ll gain some and lose some, but we can’t stray too close to HYDRA again.”

Coulson was under no illusions; shades of gray were a part of any intelligence organization, but some of SHIELD’s more extreme methods had served as handy smokescreens for the sleeper agents inside.

He continued, “That means that even without the… relations issues, aggressive methods of interrogation are out, as young as they are. I’m trying to use methods like we did with you and Natasha. Those did work, after all.” Towards the beginning of her employment, they’d actually had very little real idea of the complete scope of Natasha’s abilities, though they hadn’t known it at the time.

Clint chuckled quietly. “Eventually.”

“We have time,” Coulson said mildly. “Most of them are young.” Cross was worrisome, of course, and Tiedoll nearly as much so. But the vast majority, so far, had been children.

Clint nodded, frowning a little, and finally shrugged.

“I like ‘em,” he said offhandedly, signaling a departure from the subject. Coulson relaxed. “Call me when you need a babysitter, won’t you?”

“I’m sure your wife wouldn’t mind a large handful of _unique_ children being dumped on her at once,” Coulson deadpanned.

“She’d be thrilled,” Clint snorted, and he grinned. “And they’ll have to meet _my_ kids sometime.”

Coulson chuckled quietly. “I’ll keep the option in mind, then.”

* * *

Tiedoll, with no desire to make trouble and only a very small, very specific agenda, left much sooner than Cross had, and even Yuu didn’t know everything he’d done while he was there, since he wasn’t inclined to share.

He _was_ leaving, though, so apparently he was satisfied that they weren’t in immediate danger from SHIELD. Good thing, too, because that was a fight Yuu did not _ever_ want to have.

Yuu stood slightly back, watching as Tiedoll and Noise hugged quickly, not far from the airstrip where Tony had, obviously, also provided a jet for Tiedoll to return home.

“Stay safe,” Tiedoll said when he let go, giving Noise a small smile, and- Was he crying again? Yuu rolled his eyes. “Remember to call me as often as you like.”

Noise smiled a little, an odd little quirk to the tilt of his head that made Yuu frown. “I will,” he assured Tiedoll. “And I’ll let you know when we find anybody.”

“Thank you, Noise,” Tiedoll said with genuine gratitude.

Tiedoll squeezed Noise’s shoulder, gentle and reassuring, before moving to crouch in front of Yuu, who shifted forward, backward, and then tipped his head to meet Tiedoll’s eyes.

“I’ll miss you, Yuu,” Tiedoll said earnestly, reaching forward to cup one of Yuu’s hands in his. Yuu started to wrinkle his nose, and then paused as he registered the feeling of paper in Tiedoll’s hand.

“Don’t be stupid, you can call me whenever,” Yuu frowned, glancing down at their joined hands.

“My number and Marian’s,” Tiedoll said to Yuu, voice serious, hand lingering around his. “If you ever need help, Yuu. For any reason.”

Without looking away, Yuu nodded and closed his fingers around the piece of paper.

“Noise has them already,” Tiedoll continued, pitched subtly low, and Yuu lifted his gaze back to Tiedoll’s. “This worries me, Yuu, I won’t lie, but I trust your judgement.”

Yuu nodded again, brow knit together in concentration.

“Don’t worry, old man,” he said, too quiet to be dismissive. “We know.”

Tiedoll smiled sadly.

“I know you do, Yuu.”


	75. Chapter 75

“For privacy and security reasons, we will not be giving the name of the school Lavi and Yuu will be attending,” Pepper told the assembled press. She hid her impatience very well; the press conference following the trip for school supplies was necessary (lest they be bombarded on the way out) but it was still tiring. “However, Tony Stark has personally given the entire school district a significant donation to further education in the area.” (Tony had decided that to leave education so drastically underfunded while Lavi was attending was nothing short of an insult.)

Half a step behind her, Lavi stifled a yawn with one hand and, with the other, kept a hold of Pepper’s hand, half-leaning toward her. On Pepper’s other side, Tony’s arms were folded behind his back, and he was flashing his classic charming smile.

The three of them together half-hid the other two: Bucky, one step behind Pepper with an impassive expression, and Yuu, crowded close to him and scowling at the crowd.

“What are your reasons for not sending him to a private school?” one reporter called out, leaning up for a better angle.

“We believe that a private education would do him a disservice,” Pepper explained, squeezing Lavi’s hand gently; she’d been the one to pull him into the original discussion. “While the quality would be better, private schools are rather sheltered. We can supplement his lessons at home.”

Lavi, disinterested, glanced back at Yuu, who was grimacing now. If he listened, Lavi could just make out the subtle squeaks and whirs that came from constant, minute shifts of Bucky’s arm, product of his restlessness.

Lavi was going to be glad when it was over. Catching Yuu’s attention, he winked and stuck out his tongue playfully, and Yuu rolled his eyes and rocked back on his heels, swaying lightly in place.

Shifting back, Lavi glanced over the crowd again, reaching up to rub his cheek with the palm of his hand. Most of the reports looked disinterested; he guessed reporting on the education of a small child wasn’t all that interesting. Still, there were those that had sharp, attentive gazes, or calculating ones.

Tucked away in SHIELD HQ, Lavi didn’t have reason to think about being Tony Stark’s son very often, and most of that was as it related to, you know, kidnapping and the Avengers.

Sometimes, though, he remembered. And it was- new.

“Aren’t you worried about the threat your enemies might pose to the school?” another asked.

Lavi glanced back as Bucky stepped forward for that one. He released Yuu, too, and subtly, Lavi stepped back to join him. While Bucky started explaining, in not too much detail, the plans to have Steve linger in the area for a few weeks, Lavi leaned against Yuu until Yuu scowled and pushed back, and Lavi stumbled a little and grinned.

“You’re tired,” Yuu accused quietly, frowning at him. Lavi grinned a little, tipping his head in agreement.

“Nightmares,” he lied easily; the nightmares weren’t bad enough to keep him up for long, not most nights. Yuu frowned harder but accepted the answer easily enough, and Lavi tacked on, “I wanna get home. The school stuff looks _neat.”_

Yuu snorted, but his expression lightened enough that Lavi knew he didn’t disagree.

“Has Lavi been given any advance education? Has he shown any signs of his father’s genius mind?”

“That’s two questions,” Lavi said, in a tone too low for anyone else to catch, as Tony stepped forward to take the question. Yuu kicked him in the shin, and Lavi shoved at him lightly, grinning. “Didja see that girl following you? Why was that?”

Yuu shrugged. “She’s short. I helped her get some scissors down.” He paused to consider for a moment, and then added, “Her mom talked to the bear a little. I think she’s in our class.”

Lavi started a little. “Oh! I found someone too. He said his name was King, but I think he was lying.”

“No one names their kid _King,”_ Yuu muttered scornfully, and Lavi grinned a little.

“Is the Winter Soldier’s son safe to have around other children?”

Both Yuu and Lavi went rigid, and Bucky stepped forward again to answer, ice cold. Uncharacteristically, Lavi scowled and crossed his arms, and Yuu rubbed one hand against his forearm with a grimace.

“Stupid reporters,” Yuu huffed under his breath. “Stupid HYDRA, stupid school-”

Lavi didn’t disagree, casting the reporter in question a resentful look. “It’s gonna be weird, huh?” he murmured, almost defeated.

Yuu hummed noncommittally, rocking on his feet again. “Tiedoll used to teach me and Lena,” he murmured back. “It’s not gonna be like that.”

Lavi shrugged without replying, and they might have stayed quiet from then, but Tony glanced back at Lavi, and Lavi tilted his head questioningly before he recognized the half-encouraging look, and grimaced for a split second.

Then he made a tangible effort to perk up, smile, and hop forward, reaching for Tony’s hand because this was one of his _least_ favorite things, but he knew he’d do it better than any of his friends would except maybe Allen. (And Allen would hate it more.)

One of the reporters had already stepped forward slightly, focused on Lavi, and Lavi yawned pointedly; it dissolved into a giggle as laughter rippled briefly across the crowd.

“Lavi,” the reporter called, “what are you looking forward to most about school?”

“Learning,” Lavi replied instantly, which was true. No matter what else was going on, Lavi had always loved learning. “And people!” That was a lie. “Mommy said I had to be good and nice to everyone.”

The reporter laughed again, and another asked, “Do you think you’ll be smarter than your classmates?”

Lavi tilted his head, eyes wide. “I don’t know any of them yet!” he protested, clasping his hands behind his back.

That went on for a few minutes more, and then finally Tony squeezed Lavi’s hand and let him step back, and Lavi fell back to Pepper’s side, relieved; it was getting hard to keep his temper down. He was _tired._

“We’ll be done soon,” Pepper murmured to him soothingly, hand shifting from his shoulder to stroke briefly over his hair. “And then you can take a nap, and then maybe show your friends some of what you got today.”

Lavi nodded, and then frowned as Yuu was called forward, independent of Bucky only because Yuu had squirmed away.

“How do you get along with your friends, Yuu?”

Yuu, not adept at lying or even, despite everything, at hiding things, looked at them like they were an idiot.

“They’re my friends,” he said flatly, shuffling in place and crossing his arms against his chest.

“Do you feel you’re ready for school? You’ll be around lots of people there, you know.”

Yuu’s eyes narrowed a little, brow furrowing suspiciously, and he shrugged.

Lavi could, from where he was, see Bucky tensing, obviously prepared to interfere if Yuu started to look too unsettled, and Tony was clearly only a step behind, smile a few shades dimmer and fingers tapping at his thigh.

But either of them interfering could be taken as them hiding something, and they knew it full well.

Lavi took a breath and hopped forward, ducking out from under Pepper, and grabbed Yuu’s hand, ignoring his jolt. Lavi beamed, and Bucky relaxed.

“He’ll do great,” he said with certainty. “He helped a girl get her things earlier! Maybe she’ll be in our class. Then he’ll have a new friend already!”

Yuu tensed and then settled, recognizing Lavi’s action for what it was. There was a brief stirring in the crowd, and then they, too, eased, and Lavi’s smile widened.

“I’m really glad I’ll be in a class with Yuu!” Lavi added.

The next moment, Tony stepped forward to reclaim the stage, and Lavi nearly dragged Yuu back with him, not that Yuu provided much resistance. Yuu glanced at him, meeting his eyes briefly, and Lavi grinned at him. After a few moments longer, Yuu let out a soft sigh and relaxed slightly, one hand coming up to tug lightly at his hair, and Lavi’s grin eased into a smile.

“Have I ever mentioned my school days?” Tony asked the stage, and without waiting for an answer, continued, “I barely remember them, if I’m honest – skipped half the years-”

* * *

Lenalee didn’t mean to listen, not really. But carrot sticks just weren’t that interesting, and Allen was dozing against her shoulder, his snack already finished, and Vision and Simmons were talking. Subconsciously, she chewed a little slower, head tilted slightly.

“Look here, Doctor Simmons,” Vision was saying politely, indicating part of the screen with one hand. “That part of the brain wasn’t particularly active prior to activation. Now, however-”

“Part of the brain stem,” Simmons murmured, and it didn’t mean anything to Lenalee but it clearly did to Simmons. “I wonder if…” A pause, a moment of hesitation, and she tipped up her head to glance at Vision. “Perhaps we could scan Allen too, at some point.”

“His readings may be different,” Vision acknowledged. “Now and, perhaps, later as well, after he activates. I will speak to Steve and Natasha about it.”

Simmons smiled at Vision brightly, eyes gleaming, and at that point Lenalee realized she was watching them too, half-eaten carrot forgotten in her lap.

Fitz was working, too; he was supposed to be in charge of watching them, but he was too absorbed in his work at the moment, barely sparing them the occasional glance to make sure they hadn’t run away yet. Lenalee shifted, wondering, and Allen murmured inaudibly, making her go still, patting his shoulder absently.

Noise was elsewhere, spending time with Mack – something he’d mentioned he didn’t get to do very often. He’d wanted to go with Lavi and Yuu, at first, but had eventually agreed that the publicity was far from something he wanted.

He’d offered to spend time with Lenalee and Allen, too, until they both insisted otherwise. (They didn’t need _watching,_ but that was beside the point.)

“I’ve been meaning to ask May-” Simmons hesitated, and then she glanced over at Lenalee, too, and Lenalee tilted her head.

What with Yuu not liking the labs, Lenalee hadn’t spent a ton of time around Simmons lately, but she knew that Vision had grown close to her. The image clashed with her former rejection of Daisy’s abilities, and she was… curious, if still wary.

Vision followed Simmons’ gaze, and then considered Lenalee for a moment, following the scientist’s train of thought. After a moment, he ‘ah’d. He glanced back at Simmons and asked, “You want to observe Lenalee while she is flying?”

Lenalee blinked, shifting again, this time in interest.

“If Lenalee doesn’t mind,” Simmons admitted, looking at Lenalee with an almost hesitantly hopeful expression. “Lenalee?”

Lenalee hesitated, because any reason to fly was a good one – Melinda always kept a careful eye on her and stopped her before she got too tired – but, well.

Simmons faltered visibly, regret peeking into her eyes, as it always did when she encountered the rift between her and Lenalee. “I won’t force you, of course,” she continued worriedly, half reaching up to clasp her hands in front of her. “If you’d prefer not to.”

It wasn’t that she thought Simmons would _do_ anything – Simmons wasn’t malicious by any means, and besides, Vision was there and Vision let nothing slip by him. She knew Simmons meant well by whatever she wanted.

Simmons always meant well.

After a moment of thought, Lenalee shook Allen lightly. Allen ‘mm’ed, then pushed up, blinking his eyes open, looking questioningly at Lenalee. “What happening?” he asked, reaching up to rub at his cheek.

“Simmons asked me to fly for her,” she told him plainly, brown eyes focused on his.

Allen started, eyes clearing slightly. His eyes went to Vision, patient and unconcerned, first, and then he looked at Simmons curiously. Her expression had hardly changed, expectant and somewhat anxious.

“Why?” Allen asked Simmons.

“Mr. Stark asked for my help determining how Innocence affects your bodies,” she explained quickly, bright and quick so the words almost fell over each other. “Since activation was so hard on yours, Lenalee.” A small, rueful smile, there and gone, and she added, “He thinks we can make it safer.”

“Not stop us?” Lenalee asked evenly, and if there was an implication there, a weight, Simmons seemed to miss it entirely, save a slight sharpening of her gaze and a quick look at Vision.

“We agreed that given your situation, any means of defense is a good one,” Simmons said, with such certainty that Lenalee smiled on instinct, easy and bright, and bounced to her feet with a step a little too light.

“Sure!” she agreed. “What d’you want me to do? And can Allen help?”

“Of course,” Simmons agreed immediately.

It was an unspoken peace, but it was good enough.

* * *

“That one’s _brigh’ an’ sparkly!”_ Allen said with clear delight, batting at one bottle with his left hand.

Lavi ducked his head and grinned, flat on the ground with his legs spread out behind him. “Dad thinks there’ll be art projects. Glitter glue’s good for that sort of thing.” Still, the pleasure in his voice was clear too.

The four of them were gathered around the pile of retrieved school supplies, chattering and marveling at them while the adults started to gather around the couches and pick out a movie for the night. Lavi, back up from his nap, was in a much better mood than he’d been earlier.

“I thought you weren’t going to get supplies not on the list?” Noise asked, with more amusement in his voice than censure.

“How do you know it wasn’t on the list?” Lavi protested, covering his mouth to hide his grin.

“I _have_ gone to school already,” Noise chuckled, and Lavi giggled and shrugged.

“Mom doesn’t have _that_ much control over Dad.”

“Doesn’t she?” Yuu muttered with a slight smirk, and Lavi snorted.

“It looks really neat,” Lenalee said with wonder, ignoring the aside conversation entirely. She reached out to nudge a box of colored pencils, another of crayons, and a bottle of glue, and her eyes lightened noticeably, sparkling. “There’s stickers too!”

“You shoul’ put ‘em on the ceiling,” Allen suggested, grinning.

“They’ll know it was me,” Lenalee murmured, but she was smiling too.

“Ask FRIDAY which ones she likes,” Lavi suggested. “If she picks them out, Dad’ll let it go.”

“Sure!” Lenalee agreed readily, covering her mouth with a giggle.

“Vision wouldn’t take ‘em off, anyway,” Yuu murmured, focused on flipping through an empty notebook now. “Or Wanda or whoever.”

“Everyone would think it was too funny,” Lavi agreed, nudging Yuu, who shoved back with a roll of his eyes, dropping the notebook closed.

“You seem excited,” Noise noted warmly, and Lavi’s smile dropped away. Yuu frowned, and Noise continued, “I had a hard time starting out too, you know. I was still getting used to things even when I started.”

Yuu dropped his head to his hands and scowled at the ground, and Lavi hesitated.

“What was hardest?” Lavi asked at last, craning his neck to give Noise an uncertain look.

Noise’s smile had faded into a more serious, but no less friendly look. “Understanding everyone else,” he said plainly. “At some point, before, I forgot what it was to be a kid. And then I remembered again-” He glanced at Lenalee, only just refraining from poring over the stickers. “And then I forgot again, only sooner.” He laughed a little and shrugged. “But it’s easier, at school.”

Lavi hesitated for a moment later, and then he half-smiled, wry.

“I hope the teacher is nice,” was all he said for a moment, and then, after another, “I can talk to you anytime, right?”

“Any of you,” Noise confirmed, and then, with a small grin, “But try not to do it while I’m in class. I want to go to college, so I need to keep my grades up.”

Lavi matched his grin, and Yuu sat up a little and gave Noise a look, long and intent. Noise tipped an eyebrow up, and Yuu asked,

“You’re leaving tomorrow, right?”

Noise hummed in confirmation. “Class starts in two weeks, and I need to be home.”

Yuu considered for another few moments, and then nodded.

“I’ll call,” he said, not without reluctance – Yuu hated using the phone. Noise smiled.

“Thanks,” he said, not insincerely. “It’ll be good to hear you haven’t hurt yourself too awfully.”

“What do you think I’m going to _do,”_ Yuu complained, but it was halfhearted.

“What aren’ you gonna do,” Allen muttered, hiding a grin, and Yuu shoved him, and Allen shoved back.

“It’s gonna be weird,” Yuu added, shoving his arms under him with a frown. He glanced up at Noise. “Like- not real.”

Noise shrugged.

“It didn’t feel real for a while,” he agreed, a little heavier, but not burdened. “It will. You’ll see.”

Yuu scowled at him, and quite rightly, Lavi thought, huffing to himself. Noise’s expression lightened in short order, and added, with a little bit of humor,

“Nothing will ground you quite as much as being scolded for how awful your handwriting is. That’s one you’ve heard before, isn’t it, Yuu?”

“Shut it,” Yuu huffed, but he’d relaxed a little, amusement creeping into his eyes again.

There was a moment of silence, and then Lenalee pulled one of the packets of stickers closer and started to flip through it.

“FRIDAY,” she said into the silence, “which stickers do you like best?”

“No!” Tony said from over where the adults were just settling down, echoed a moment later by Pepper (the latter in a far more amused tone.)

“He doesn’t mean it,” Lavi assured Lenalee.

“I’m partial to natural phenomena,” FRIDAY said, and when Lavi glanced at Tony, he was trying far too hard not to look pleased.

Lavi grinned a little, and he didn’t think about the upcoming school year.

“Clouds and rainbows and rivers, then,” Lenalee said, entirely too satisfied.


	76. Chapter 76

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, little buddy,” Tony said, arms around Lavi for a few moments longer than usual.

“Remember everything so you can tell us all about it,” Pepper said, thumb rubbing across Lavi’s cheek and a smile on her face like she was worried Lavi would forget about her if he left too long.

Bucky didn’t say anything at first, but finally he settled on, “Take care,” and Yuu nodded as if that made more sense than anything else he could have said, so Lavi decided it was a ‘them’ thing. (They had a lot of ‘them’ things.)

It was Rhodey who had offered to take them to school, on the grounds that he was one of the least conspicuous. Lavi thought that that wouldn’t last all that long, but he kept that to himself.

“You two ready for this?” Rhodey asked, helping Yuu buckle himself in despite the boy’s scowl. The other adults had left only reluctantly, mostly because Pepper had pointed out that they were going to be- not late, but not as early as they were meant to be. Both of them made dubious, noncommittal sounds, and Rhodey snorted. “Can’t say I blame you. Don’t worry, you’ll settle in.”

Yuu kicked the seat, a stormcloud starting to settle around his shoulders. “Then why’d you _ask,”_ he muttered.

“Hey,” Rhodey said sharply, and Yuu stilled. Rhodey sighed, turning his head to meet his eyes. “There you go. Look, I know it’s gonna be tough. But you can handle it, right? You’re tough too.”

Yuu softened at that and bobbed his head a little, reluctantly. Rhodey gave him a nod and a quick smile in return, and then closed the door and climbed into the front seat, buckled up, and started the car in silence. Only once they were moving did he call back,

“You’ve been awful quiet, Lavi. You asleep back there?”

Yuu grunted. “Yeah. He didn’t sleep much last night.”

Rhodey tutted sympathetically. “Today’s gonna be especially rough for him then. Look after him, won’t ya, Yuu?”

Yuu huffed. “Duh.”

“That’s the spirit,” Rhodey said, amused.

The Avengers compound and SHIELD headquarters being in a relatively isolated area, it took half an hour to get to the elementary school Lavi and Yuu would be attending. Yuu just watched the scenery pass by, frowning a little at the distance, which seemed much too large.

When they arrived, they were just one in a long line of cars; as Yuu watched, a bus passed them by to park further along the curb. Rhodey parked, too, and Yuu reached over to flick Lavi.

“Wake up, rabbit,” he said unenthusiastically, watching Lavi stir and then blink open sleepy green eyes. “We’re here.”

“Mmnmn?” Lavi said, and then, slightly more coherently, “oh,” and reached for his buckle.

Yuu hummed and was still fumbling with his when Rhodey opened the door and did it for him.

“I can do it,” he said defensively, scowling at him.

“Sure,” Rhodey agreed, slightly amused. On the other side, Lavi hopped out by himself, swinging his backpack over his shoulder, and Yuu scowled harder. “But we’re on a pretty strict time limit, so not today.”

Yuu grumbled, but when Rhodey stepped back, he reached for his own backpack and hopped out without further complaint. Then he crossed around the back of the car, grabbed Lavi’s hand, and gave Rhodey an expectant look.

“I’m not gonna fall behind,” Lavi protested, rubbing one eye sleepily.

“Whatever, rabbit,” Yuu dismissed. Rhodey reached for Yuu’s other hand and Yuu took it with a roll of his eyes and nothing more.

It took ten more minutes, a wrong turn, and a circuitous route, but eventually they found the right classroom. Yuu eyed the brightly colored walls doubtfully while Rhodey released them and gestured to the cubbies, then headed to the teacher, a white woman with red hair who appeared tall but who was probably actually rather short.

Yuu nudged Lavi roughly. “Wake up, we’re here.”

“I am awake,” Lavi argued, bumping him back, and they started to search for their names on the cubbies.

“Oh!” said the teacher. “You’re-”

“Colonel James Rhodes,” Rhodey agreed with a polite smile, holding out his hand, which she shook. “Mrs. Lorelei, right?”

Mrs. Lorelei cleared her throat, looking flushed but otherwise professional. “Yes, that’s right. And these are Lavi and Yuu?” She offered the two of them a kind smile as they approached, now sans backpacks, and Yuu answered with a scowl.

“Good, everybody knows everybody,” Rhodey said, and then, more seriously, “Yuu isn’t great with people and he’s a little irritable. He won’t hit anybody but he might yell. Lavi can usually keep him in line, but he’s pretty tired today so I wouldn’t count on it.”

“I can handle irritable children, Colonel,” Mrs. Lorelei assured him, looking a little more relaxed. Rhodey gave her a short nod.

“We’ll have an Avenger or two around the block, just in case, but we don’t expect anything to happen,” he continued in a lower tone, though no one else was there. “Don’t be worried if you see ‘em.”

Mrs. Lorelei’s expression turned a little more solemn, and just a touch unsure. “I understand,” she promised. “And I’ll look after your kids, of course.”

Rhodey gave her a brief smile, and then crouched down to speak to Lavi and Yuu.

“Be good, you two,” he said. “Try not to upset Mrs. Lorelei too much, hm?”

“Che,” Yuu said, and Lavi laughed. Rhodey grinned.

“School ends at four, remember,” he added. “Now, I gotta go check the office has pickup protocol right, but I’ll see you two later today.”

“Bye, Rhodey,” Lavi said, with a touch of theatrical mournfulness, and Rhodey ruffled his hair and then stood up, while Yuu waved vaguely.

When they turned back, Mrs. Lorelei was smiling again.

“You two are the first ones here, so you can pick any seat,” she told them encouragingly. And then, softer, “I know you haven’t spent much time around other children, but we’ll all be doing our best to make sure everyone meets new friends.”

Yuu stuck his tongue out at her and turned away, dragging Lavi to a corner table and firmly ignoring the teacher’s laugh.

“What were you even doing last night, stupid rabbit?” he muttered once they’d both sat down.

Lavi hesitated. “Promise not to tell?”

Yuu glanced at him sharply, then nodded.

Lavi put his head on the table. “I’m trying to learn to hack. Like Dad does. FRIDAY’s helping me.”

Yuu blinked, and then hissed, “Can’t you just ask Tony and do it during the _day?”_

“I don’t want him to know,” Lavi said petulantly, apparently forgetting how well that had gone for them last time. “I want-” He stopped abruptly and swung up an arm to hide his face in.

Yuu blinked again, and then, slowly, understood. He stared at Lavi, dumbfounded.

“You _dummy,”_ he said with feeling, but was prevented from saying more by the arrival of another family.

That family heralded the arrival of another, and then another, until they were flooding in, introducing their kids to the teacher and giving their tearful goodbyes. Yuu scowled, but couldn’t honestly say that he would have known what to say anyway, and especially couldn’t now that he was surrounded by an unnerving number of people.

“That’s King!” said Lavi, his head in the crook of his elbow, but grinning and pointing to a little black boy in overalls.

The boy, apparently hearing his name, twisted to look over and then grinned. “Lavi!” he called, loud enough to make Yuu wince, though Lavi grinned back even as King bounced over.

Yuu tuned out his chatter and Lavi’s hums, looking around. His eyes caught on the short girl from before, the one he’d helped at the store, sitting quietly at a table not far away, watching them with wide brown eyes.

Yuu stared back for a few moments, frowning slightly, and then broke it just as King bounced away, and Lavi huffed out a laugh.

“So,” Lavi said. “School.”

“Che.”

* * *

Yuu kept a watchful eye on the clock as the day crept by – eight o’clock, nine o’clock, ten o’clock.

None of the activities interested him; they were too simple or too easy or too rooted in the words and lives of strangers, and he felt itchy and restless in his skin.

(Lavi wanted to help him find Alma. Lavi was staying up late and learning a skill, just to-)

He and Lavi stuck close to each other throughout the morning, did whatever they could together instead of with others, and within a few hours some of the other kids were already steering clear of them (though King and his new best friend, Teresa, never got the hint.)

Yuu was surprised at Lavi, actually – as long as Yuu had known him, Lavi had been a giant chatterbox even when exhausted and half-asleep. But the most even King and Teresa were getting was an unsure smile and a few hesitant, unencouraging replies that they quickly grew bored with.

(Yuu wasn’t even offering that much. The few times he was approached, he’d just ignored them, unsure of what to say and uninterested in trying. That was probably why they were being avoided.)

Mrs. Lorelei was giving the two of them increasingly concerned looks as time went on, until Yuu started sticking out his tongue bitterly every time she glanced their way, hunched defensively over his cute worksheet.

Finally, lunchtime arrived, and Yuu practically had to tug Lavi through the line, with a liberal sprinkling of scowls and complaints. The walls were a brightly painted forest, filled with colorful animals that matched the chatter of the children in the cafeteria.

They settled in a corner again, and Lavi finally woke up a little to eat his lunch. Yuu eyed him, frowning. He was- _really_ out of it.

“H-hi, can I… s-sit here?”

“Do whatever,” Yuu snapped harshly without thinking, eyes narrowing into a hot glare as he glanced at the speaker.

The girl – Elena, he recalled vaguely, the little one who’d been watching them – squeaked, hopping back a little before whipping around, braid flying, and disappearing down the row.

“Harsh, Yuu,” Lavi reprimanded, stifling a yawn. “She’s still just tiny.”

“Whatever,” Yuu muttered, hunching over and picking up his fork. He stabbed it into his mac’n’cheese and took a bite. “Sleep more tonight.”

Lavi laughed. “Okay, Yuu.” He bit into his pizza. “Today’s been kinda boring, huh?”

Lavi’s voice was falsely lighthearted. Yuu shrugged. “Noise said it would be,” he muttered.

“Mmhm,” Lavi hummed, and then, “The stuff’s pretty easy so far. I mean, I guess it makes sense, but-”

“It’d be easier if I could _focus,”_ Yuu bit out, hunching over farther. “It’s so- it _sucks.”_ He knocked his fork into the side of the bowl, making it spill a little, and scowled harder. “And I’m- _clumsy.”_

Lavi sat up a little, and then leaned over to bump Yuu’s shoulder. Yuu bumped back, much harder, and Lavi laughed and rubbed it.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, a little more cheerful. “It’s just a part of being a kid.”

“I hate it,” Yuu snapped.

“It’s not fun,” Lavi acknowledged ruefully. “It’ll pass though.”

“It better,” Yuu muttered, taking a vicious bite of his food. (He was so _tired_ of being a kid.)

When they finished, they went to recess, funneling out the door as directed. The playground outside had a swingset, a jungle gym, and three large play structures, all of with were swarming with screaming, laughing kids, mostly bigger than them.

It was jarring, and Yuu felt abruptly, violently out of place, so much so that he nearly took a step back. (He missed Bucky and Allen and Lenalee, and that too was a strange and distant feeling.)

Lavi and Yuu started to share an uncertain look, but Yuu’s eye caught on something across the street, and he lifted his head to look, eyes widening and lips parting in surprise. Without realizing it, he relaxed a little and rolled his eyes.

Across the street, Steve waved, and then made a shooing gesture toward the playground, supposedly encouraging. Yuu snorted, and then ducked his head and looked at Lavi.

“Come on, rabbit,” he said wryly, starting toward the swingset. “Let’s go.”

“I bet I can swing higher than you,” Lavi said brightly, waving at Steve and then hurrying on ahead.

“Not half-asleep, you can’t,” Yuu retorted, and then hopped on just ahead of Lavi and kicked off.

As he rose, he caught sight of Steve, turning away with a smile and talking on the phone.

Yuu huffed. Couldn’t stop fretting for one _day._

“Whee!” Lavi yelled, loud enough to carry.

* * *

At four o’clock, the two of them had to wait in the office to be checked out. It only took a few minutes for Scott to arrive, though, and Yuu sat up a little as he came into sight, impatient and _more_ than ready to just _be done._

“Yuu!” Lenalee called cheerfully, waving from over by Scott’s legs and startling him. Her little flats clacked against the linoleum loudly, red anklets standing out against her skin. “How was your first day?”

On Scott’s other side, Allen was grinning cheekily, waving with his free hand. Yuu almost laughed.

“Hm,” he said instead, and elbowed Lavi sharply in the ribs.

Scott gave them a smile and a nod before going to talk to the school secretary, and at Yuu’s jab, Lavi yelped and sat up and grinned at Allen and Lenalee.

“Allen! Lena! It’s been almost a _whole day!”_ Lavi cried, hopping off the chair and over to hug Allen, pretending to cry, while Allen laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

“It’s been eight hours,” Yuu deadpanned, but he glanced over both Allen and Lenalee, brow furrowed, until he was satisfied and continued, “Lavi kept falling asleep.”

Lenalee gave Lavi an exasperated look. “What’re you doing _now?”_ she asked.

Lavi finally gave in to Allen’s pointed shoving and straightened, winking at her with a ‘shush’ gesture, and she rolled her eyes.

Scott finished signing them out and returned, looking down at them with wry amusement.

“Let’s go, you little gremlins,” he said easily. “Before your parents come to get you themselves.”

“Mom wouldn’t let them,” Lavi said with confidence, even as they started heading to the car.

“Let’s not test that, yeah?” Scott retorted, and Lavi made a noise of agreement. Scott opened the door and gestured, and they piled in, all four of them squished in the back. “How did it go?”

Yuu grunted, Lavi hummed disappointedly, and Allen and Lenalee laughed, because neither of them really cared apparently.

“That great, huh?” Scott sympathized, because he was nice. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.” Yuu doubted it. “School is hard on the best of us, at first. Cassie loves it, though – but I, uh.” Scott coughed awkwardly. “Actually missed her first day.” Pause, and then he cleared his throat and changed the subject abruptly. “Lenalee put stickers on the ceiling, by the way.”

“FRIDAY loves ‘em,” Allen added cheerfully, catching Yuu’s eye to offer a bright, reassuring smile.

“Tony hates it,” Lenalee added, with just as much relish, and Lavi laughed. “But Wanda won’t help take them down, and neither will Vision.”

“Vision says it’s FRIDAY’s choice,” Allen put in.

“I think he’s just messing with Tony though,” Scott offered from the front, and Yuu started to relax again in this more familiar and comfortable environment.

“Hm,” Lavi said, and fell asleep on top of Allen. Allen yelped, flailing a little and casting Yuu a pleading look as Lavi crushed him under his weight.

“Stupid rabbit,” Yuu muttered, and pulled Lavi over so he was leaning on him instead. He felt Lavi convulse with a tiny, restrained laugh, and rolled his eyes harder.

“I hope he gets more sleep before tomorrow,” Scott added with clear concern, and Yuu nearly groaned.

_Tomorrow._

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Oh boy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10438122) by [LaviBookman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaviBookman/pseuds/LaviBookman)
  * [Brothers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10496130) by [janazza](https://archiveofourown.org/users/janazza/pseuds/janazza)
  * [Crash, Derail, Burn](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10881471) by [zovinar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zovinar/pseuds/zovinar)




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